Somewhere
by Niamh13
Summary: A twist on the Hermione as an Unspeakable and retrieving Sirius from the Veil. Nothing is what it's meant to be. This'll change all that. Crossover with the Final Fantasy X world, Lord Braska's period. S/Hr Aurikku Rated M for Adult Content/Language
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMED

**Fandoms:** Harry Potter, Final Fantasy X(10 Years before initial storyline)

**Pairings:** Hermione/Sirius, possibly Rikku/Auron

**Rating:** Mature (Eventually)

**Summary:** A twist on the Hermione as an Unspeakable and retrieving Sirius from the Veil. Nothing is what it's meant to be. This'll change all that. Crossover with the Final Fantasy X world, Lord Braska's period. May contain Rikku.

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She was falling. She had given much thought to how she would die during the war, seeing as she was always a target, being Harry Potter's most loyal friend and a Muggleborn. But all the scenarios she'd tortured herself with had included a great deal of pain before she went. But there was nothing. A sea of black; then gray turning gradually to beige. Her last thought before everything became a blinding white was _is this what Sirius saw?...._

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-**Chapter 一**

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Hermione supposed it was her fault; becoming an Unspeakable, researching and studying the 'mechanics' of the Veil for years. Harry still never spoke of Sirius. He was with Ginny now and happy, she supposed. But there still came that dark look anytime he was remotely mentioned.

The war was over, as was school, but Hermione still felt the unwavering loyalty to her first real friend in the wizarding world. Perhaps it was a sort of life debt, for though Ron knocked out the troll, she knew the scrawny black-haired boy was the one to come running to her rescue that fateful day.

Ten years later, she just wanted to take that haunted look from his eyes. She wanted to remove it before it became as worse as Sirius' own, before he fell.

Hermione was convinced that _Avada Kedavra_ was the only curse that one couldn't return from or undo. As she was there that night, Hermione knew Bellatrix had definitely not used the curse and felt if she could unlock the mystery of the Veil, she could either restore Sirius or give Harry the closure he never had for once again another lost father figure.

But she ran into problem after problem. First, there was an unbreakable magical confundus charm on it that made a magical scan of it impossible. Though it had never been possible before, she wondered if Muggle technology would be able to pick up something. It was a long shot but she had to try. Which meant she had to convince the powers that be to allow her to either move it out so she could put it in a Muggle laboratory or bring in a Muggle device to examine it. The Minister of Magic had no problem with it, it was once it was leaked to the rest of the staff and the Wizarding World that she had problems.

She'd had the biggest row with Harry of all people about it.

"_Can't you just let it go?" Harry frowned. "Sirius is dead. We all know it. Accept it and move on."_

_Hermione glared. "Take your own advice Harry and maybe then I can."_

_Harry turned away. Hermione immediately softened, stepping closer. "Harry, they've never used Muggle technology before. Believe me, I've searched the documents. This could finally give us some answers and closure."_

_He stared at the ground unseeing for a moment before turning to look at her. "Alright. But I don't want you to make me forget. I need to be able to remember to check up on you – I'm not going to lose more of my family to this."_

_Hermione nodded. "Only you then. Thank you, Harry."_

Five years later, she felt she was close. Which was why she now stood in her Muggle laboratory in the depths of the Ministry's Department of Mysteries on Halloween night. Ron had called her mental before Luna had distracted him as she made her excuses from Harry's party. As she was an Unspeakable, Ron forgot entirely about her leaving before she was out the door. Harry let her go, knowing there was no stopping her and said he'd check up on her in the morning.

Now, as she stood going over the most recent schematics printed out from her latest scan, she shifted in her tight costume. Ginny had bugged her about wearing something slutty this year and was disappointed when Hermione chose to play Britain's female version of Indiana Jones, Lara Croft. That is until she saw how much cleavage and mid-drift the video game character showed. And how tight her clothing was.

Hermione rubbed the back of her neck as she straightened, grimacing as she tugged at her shorts. Biting her lip, she frowned at the print-outs. They showed unusual fluctuations of magical activity. From studying the past documented disappearances into the Veil, she noted a pattern of this happening roughly every ten years after such a happenstance. So that it was happening was not a surprise. It was the _why_ that was bothering her. With Muggle technology, they'd been able to take sonar readings and other than the one other magical flare (an employee actually brought his cat to work), this was the only time it had showed anything. And not just anything, actual landscapes.

After discussing it endlessly with her assistant, Charlie Hamil and then with Harry somewhat, she concluded it was possible that the Veil was not a portal to the afterlife, but to other worlds. Farfetched maybe, but then what was not since she'd entered _this_ world?

Hermione argued with herself whether she should really risk it or not. Her assistant was not here as she had given him the night off. If the portal was open, she knew there was only a small window left to enter it and who knew if there were many worlds or just one. If she waited for the next opportunity, it could send her somewhere entirely different than wherever Sirius went. But how would she get back?

She knew she should somehow be more concerned about that. Really, this was all to get Sirius _back_. But since her life had become this, well…her only joy in life was the next discovery. Harry was slowly moving on, had married Ginny and seemed happy enough. Luna had finally gotten Ron to take notice and they were engaged. Everyone had a life but her. She lived and breathed her work.

The truth was, this other world drew her. It was compelling her to make irrational decisions and she fought to stop the impulse. However it was too strong. Her mind raced with all the horrible places she could possibly end up. _Hell. Purgatory._ Those were first in mind. Then her chest ached at the thought of Sirius being trapped there, after thirteen years in Azkaban. Could Fate be so cruel?

She had to know. Before she realized it, she was standing directly before the Veil. The accursed spot where Bellatrix's curse zapped her cousin and stole his life. Unsteady, her hand lifted of its own accord, reaching out. The flat of her hand merely brushed the wavering air, and she gasped hearing a distinct _'Hermione'_ amongst the babble of voices. Ever since the final battle of Hogwarts, she'd been able to hear the voices Harry first mentioned.

Startled, she took a step back. However, she suddenly felt woozy and stumbled. She tried to right herself, twisting her ankle as she did. As she straightened, she winced in pain and hobbled sideways.

"Bugger," she breathed, catching the frame of the Veil to stand up. Glancing around, she realized she'd left her wand on the desk. Slowly, she hobbled her way over to it. Before she could make it very far however, a powerful gust of wind proceeded a loud rumbling. Hermione eased around, her eyes widening at the massive dark cloud billowing out of the Veil. She let out a scream as an ugly head full of eyes and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth came straight at her.

Covering her face she ducked, but it did not save her from being sucked forward. And then there was darkness, and she was falling.

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Sirius was many things but he was not generally a patient man. That nonsense was Remus' thing. Actually, he believed his friend learned patience from dealing with his and James' antics growing up. But Remus was not here and it was Sirius who had to deal with the unruly group of drunk Yevonites.

You might be wondering what exactly a Yevonite is, and the best Sirius could tell you would be trouble. Religious nuts that felt all machina, or machinery, was evil and those who used it were sinners. They were almost worse in their beliefs than the Pureblood propaganda he grew up with.

Right now, they were in his bar, three sheets to the wind and were what looked like cutting up his table with a dagger.

"Ye want me ta handle 'em?" asked his burly young bartender, Garret.

Sirius shook his head, waving him off. Wiping his hands, he made his way around the bar to the commotion.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," Sirius greeted.

The men all looked up at him.

"I trust you've had no problems with the drinks, have you?"

One shook his head. "Damn fine brew."

Sirius smiled and nodded. "Then I will thank you to not destroy my furniture."

The men looked to where he nodded to the man sawing away at the table before him. The man turned to him innocently.

"I's only doin' you a favor. It's got Al Bhed writin' on et!"

Sirius nodded. "That may be, but I would like to be the one to handle it, if you don't mind."

The man frowned in belligerence. "See now, I don' think I like yer tone."

"Well, seeing as I'm the proprietor and you are not, I only care what I think about customers butchering my establishment."

A smart fellow in the group noticed Sirius' icy tone while his friend did not. "Shane, we best be gettin' on anyway."

"No," Shane argued as he stood abruptly, almost falling over.

The tavern had gone quiet, everyone turned to watch the drama unfold, as it were.

His other friend caught him, steadying the belligerent drunk.

"I am the customer. You can't talk ta me tha' way," he slurred out.

Sirius merely crossed his arms, an amused look on his face.

His friends grabbed at him as Sirius leaned in close.

"You smell of a donkey's ass and you have the face of a pig. Now get the fuck," he breathed, his tone deadly, "out of my bar."

The man was obviously too drunk to recognize him, but his friends knew better. While Shane sputtered angrily, his friends dragged him out by the arms, him being too drunk to do anything about it.

Sirius watched them leave before turning about. As soon as he saw everyone watching him they all turned back to their business. Sirius headed back to the bar, nodding at Garret. He'd spent his time in this new world gaining a reputation. He was fearsome to men, mysterious and desirable to women and children played at being him.

His front was owning the bar. No one questioned that he was anymore than that and only a select, and trusted, few knew what he really did.

Leaving the bar to Garret, he headed for the cellar. As he reached row upon row of wine and booze, he pulled on a seemingly random bottle. He released it as a section of the cellar swung inward before stepping through.

He strode through a long corridor, before entering a small torch-lit chamber by pushing aside a tapestry. He released his hair from his queue and strapped on his gun holster and sword sheath. He checked his gun's cartridge before slipping it in its holster and then sliding his newly sharpened sword into its spot at his waist. He finished by pulling on his knee-length black coat. He brusquely adjusted the collar as he gave himself a once-over in the wall mirror. Turning he headed out of the small antechamber and into a larger one.

Groups of men sat about going over maps, or cleaning their weapons, or playing cards. They came to attention when he entered. He scanned them, seemingly bored.

"Captain Black."

Sirius looked to his right to see his second in command, Rhys. He was of one of the wealthier families before Sin took his family and wealth in one fell swoop. Sin being the massive being that showed up randomly to terrorize and decimate Spira. He was fifteen when Sirius fell from the sky right in front of him and had no one. They sort of bonded, as Rhys sported black hair, like his Godson. He taught him the ways of Spirans and Sirius repaid him by claiming him as his own to avoid the lad being put in foster care. This world was no kinder to orphans than his own.

"Rhys," Sirius nodded, looking around. "Report," he muttered.

"The Omega Ruins are proving difficult. Something about an underwater Sin like monster."

Sirius nodded slightly, studying his men. He'd had little to do stuck in Grimmauld place for a year that he'd perfected his Legilimens before he 'died.' It was why he was so good at keeping his operations a secret; he always knew who to trust.

"What about the Southwest Islands?" he asked quietly.

Rhys grimaced. "The Al Bhed are still giving us trouble."

Sirius frowned, glancing at him. "The Al Bhed know I have no quarrel with them."

"Yes, Captain." Rhys agreed. "But they don't believe the men when they say they work for you. Plus," Rhys made a face. "The last Sin sighting was near there."

Sirius sighed and nodded. That meant he'd have to go himself. Which he had no problem with, except that to keep his cover and thus his operation going, he needed to appear at the bar more nights than not. And a trip that far south would take a few days if not more.

"What about the Kilika crew?"

"They're expected back tonight…" A loud commotion cut him off.

Looking towards the main exit, they saw several men enter shoving what looked to be a woman between them. They caught everyone's attention as they brought her before him, bound and gagged. She felt to her knees in the dirt, glaring up at her captors.

"What is the meaning of this?" Rhys asked angrily.

"Bleedin' bird fell ou' of the sky." One man said, yanking off her gag. He glanced up at Sirius. "Poked out Nole's eye and nearly took off me head when we wouldn't tell 'er where ye were."

Rhys frowned.

Sirius blinked. "Me?"

He glanced down at the woman and noted she was staring at him slack-jawed.

"S-sirius?"

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A/N: Alrighty, so if you are intrigued and want more let me know, or just Story Alert it as I like to write the two chapter before I post one, just to be sure of continuity. I think I've finally found an angle on this couple that I can stick with. As for ages, the Veil has had a peculiar effect on Sirius' as it restored him to his proper age before he was thrown in Azkaban, so he appeared in Spira with the body of a 25 year old and now appears to be 35. If that doesn't fit exactly with canon, I don't care.=P

As for Rikku, I like her with Auron. And we may see them in this story in the same way we see Hermione suddenly in this particular time period and world. Same deal as Sirius/Hermione, older male/young female. Please feel free to wikipedia FFX if you're not familiar with the characters/world. All mistakes are mine.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMED: (_01/03/09_) All mistakes are mine

**Fandoms:** Harry Potter, Final Fantasy X(10 Years before initial storyline)

**Pairings:** Hermione/Sirius, possibly Rikku/Auron

**Rating:** Mature (Eventually)

**Summary:** A twist on the Hermione as an Unspeakable and retrieving Sirius from the Veil. Crossover with the Final Fantasy X world, Lord Braska's period. May contain Rikku.

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-**Chapter　二  
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Hermione stared at Sirius barely comprehending. Obviously, this had been her goal, to actually find him. But somewhere along the way it became more about what actually _happened_ to him. Never had she really allowed herself to believe she'd ever see him again. And now that she finally found herself in his presence, what seemed to be more shocking was how…well he looked.

His years in Azkaban had aged him prematurely, as surely as Remus' lycanthropy had aged him considerably. The man Hermione met when she was fifteen did not stand before her. No, this man was well fed, clean, his eyes sharp and he was, dare she say, muscled. And he couldn't be well into his fifties, as he should be. Forty tops, but even that seemed farfetched for his current physique. Her mind whirled with questions as he continued to stare back at her, a small frown marring his brow.

She simply sat there when he crouched down before her. His head tilted as he searched her face. When his gaze dropped lower, she suddenly remembered what little she was wearing and shifted uncomfortably. Sirius saw her wince and he frowned. Her eyes went wide as he pulled a dagger from his boot and moved towards her. She held very still as he reached around her and cut her bounds, before releasing her.

She relaxed, rubbing her sore wrists.

"I know you…"

Hermione glanced up at him to see him staring at her thoughtfully. She frowned briefly, wondering why he didn't know who she was. Of course, she'd seen him only very briefly at times ten years ago, but still…his memory shouldn't be that bad.

"What is your name?" Sirius asked.

Hermione blinked. "H-hermione," she answered, clearing her throat.

He mouthed her name, his gaze still thoughtful.

His men shifted around him. "Sir?"

Sirius turned his head to the man at his side, breaking his gaze on Hermione briefly. "Yes. Put her in my quarters. She is not to be harmed."

He stood as she was lifted to her feet. Stunned at his lack of recognization, she allowed herself to be bodily led. It was stunning enough to see someone you'd thought dead for all intents and purposes for the past ten years standing before you, giving out commands like he owned the place for years. Add the creepy monster thing and the abrupt landing into what appeared to be another world and apprehended by the first person you meet; it was a wonder she could stand at all.

Sirius accepted the report from his Kilika crew before sending them away. He retreated into his antechamber, Rhys following.

"Sir? Do you know that woman?"

Sirius leaned against the wall, his hands spread and his head bowed. "I don't know."

Rhys blinked, before frowning and shifting. "Perhaps, she is from your other world?"

Sirius turned to look at his adoptive son, his eyes questioning. Every time he'd tried to tell Rhys of where he'd come from, he would laugh and say he'd gotten too close to Sin. The monster's toxins apparently had funny effects on people. After a while, Sirius had given up.

"You believe me then?"

Rhys shrugged. "It makes more sense. You never talk about Sin but you always use words I've never heard of. And you did fall from the sky, just like they said she did." Rhys glanced around uncomfortably. "So you don't remember her?"

Sirius turned, lifting his face upward and closing his eyes. "I…don't know. Maybe." Shaking his head, he turned to face his son. "If time passes the same there, anyone I knew would be ten years older. She does look vaguely familiar…."

"Do you remember anything of your world?"

"This is my world," Sirius returned firmly. "But yes…I remember my friends growing up. I remember…" he paused, staring at the wall unseeing. "I remember my godson." He glanced at Rhys with a small smile. "He was a lot like you. Same age."

Rhys looked thoughtful. "She looks to be my age as well. Perhaps she was a friend of his?"

Sirius frowned with the effort it took to recall his godson's mates. He could picture no one. Sighing, he turned to Rhys.

"Perhaps I did get too close to Sin. You say it has funny effects on one's memories?"

Rhys nodded. "Tis what I've heard." He smiled then, bowing his head to scratch the back of his neck. "Perhaps you are just getting up in the years, old man."

Sirius smiled good-naturedly, pulling him into a headlock. "The day you can beat me in sharp-shooting, is the day you can start calling me old."

They had a brief wrestling match before Sirius finally released him laughing.

"Yeah, yeah," Rhys said reaching for the door. "Go see your mystery woman, _old man_." He raced out of the room as Sirius lunged at him, laughing the whole way.

Sirius let him go, shaking his head. His smile fell then as he considered his 'mystery woman.' _Hermione. Hermione, Hermione, Hermione…_ He had the strange feeling he knew her, but that was it. No recollections of talking to her, seeing her, or even knowing her last name. He tried to recall any of Harry's friends and he was coming up blank. He did know he had some, or he'd have had no peace leaving him to fend for himself while he'd been on the run.

Azkaban. Sirius blinked, bowing his head. He'd escaped and tried to get to Pettigrew…whom for some reason was at Hogwarts…where Harry was… Peter was a rat, his Animagus… Did Harry have him for a pet? No, that didn't sound right…

Sirius winced and shook his head. It was no use. He couldn't remember anything after Azkaban, except Harry and what he looked like. He was always in the papers.

But if…Hermione was Harry's age, then she would've been in school and she had to have known Harry to have known him. So she had to be one of Harry's friends. He brightened considerably at that. He could ask her how his godson was. And Remus. He immediately frowned. Voldemort was still alive when he…left. Who knew what had happened. Suddenly concerned in a way he hadn't been for a long time, he strode out of the room and headed for his quarters.

He didn't even think to knock as well, it was his room. Opening the door, he came upon a smooth and very bare back. Stopping abruptly, he let out an, "Oh."

Hermione looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes wide as she finished pulling on one of his shirts. Her eyes became angry. "Could you please close the door before your entire…crew gets a show?"

Without thinking, he closed the door behind him, resting back against it.

She continued to huff as she buttoned up the shirt before tying the tails in front of her into a knot. "Honestly, don't you knock?"

Sirius came back to himself. He smirked slightly, crossing his arms. "It happens to be my room, so no."

She rolled her eyes. She was thoroughly annoyed at having been kept waiting. It only made the fact that he didn't recognize her worse. She'd spent ten years 'mourning' him and five of those years looking for him. Way to make a witch feel appreciated.

"Ten years here has done nothing to improve your manners."

Sirius' eyebrows lifted. So time did pass at the same rate here.

"Where are we, by the way?" she asked.

"Spira," he replied. "Just outside of Luca to be exact."

She blinked at him. "And that doesn't seem strange to you?" His tone was blasé and it disconcerted her. He was nothing like she remembered.

He pushed off the door and strode to a small bar, pouring two drinks. "It may have seemed odd ten years ago when I first got here, yes. Drink?" He handed her a glass of port.

She took it without looking at it, her eyes faraway. He noted this. _Seemed she trusted him. Not many people did seeing as he was an Azkaban escapee._

"And you still don't recognize me?" she said.

Sirius gave her a once-over as he sipped his drink. "No, but I wish I did." He muttered the last part as he turned away. She still heard it and didn't quite know what to make of it.

"Do you remember Harry?" she pressed.

He turned. Too many emotions were flashing across his face.

"Is he…" he couldn't get the words out.

Hermione nodded, understanding. "He's fine. He's alive and Voldemort…is dead. He married Ginny." Hermione watched as relief replaced all emotions on his face. "…He misses you."

Sirius slowly lifted his gaze back to hers, his eyes revealing just how much the feeling was mutual.

"And…everyone?" he choked out.

Hermione bit her lip. "Dumbledore died…as did Snape – both as heroes. Remus is well. He and Tonks have two children. Kingsley was made Minister of Magic."

Sirius slowly sat down as he listened to news of his past life. His mind whirled with joy that his friend got his happy ending and that his godson was safe and okay, in a Voldemort-free world. That Harry had lost Dumbledore as well saddened him though. He didn't care either way about Snape anymore.

"You were given a posthumous pardon on behalf of the Ministry." Hermione added, catching his attention.

"Posthumous?" he lifted his brow.

She worried her lip with her teeth and nodded. "You were legally declared dead six months after you…fell."

Sirius shook his head in confusion. "How did you get here then?"

"I uh, fell too." Hermione glanced around feeling lame.

Sirius recalled his manners then and rose to offer her a chair. She took it, setting her glass down on the small table before her before hugging herself.

"You fell?" Sirius repeated. "You mean through the…"

"Veil?" she finished. "Yes."

"How?" He couldn't fathom why they would let _anyone_ near that thing.

She bit her lip. He noticed she did that a lot. It was distracting.

"I became an Unspeakable…after the war."

"Why?" Sirius asked. "Because of me?" he added lifting his brow.

Her lips twisted. "Sort of."

His eyebrow went up further. "Sort of?"

She looked away. "It was Harry, he…never really handled losing you." Her hands tugged at the tails of his shirt. "I just wanted to give him some answers, one way or another."

Sirius stared at her bent head, wondering at the level of loyalty this woman exhibited for his godson.

"Who are you?"

Hermione's head lifted at his quiet question. "You really don't remember?"

He shook his head as he continued to hold her gaze.

"But you remember everything else? Remus, Dumbledore, Snape, Harry?"

He looked away, hearing the slight hurt in her tone. "Honestly, I don't remember anything after breaking out of Azkaban."

"Oh," she said, looking down into her lap.

Anxious to break the silence and see her not so despondent, he said, "Maybe you could tell me who you are? Might jog my memory."

She glanced up at that. He was slightly startled to see a small smile form her mouth. "I think it'll be better to let you remember on your own."

He lifted a brow, amused. "You do, do you?" He held her gaze, concentrating. He immediately felt her mental blocks and saw her expression change to one of annoyance.

"No cheating," she admonished and he was delightfully reminded of McGonagall. A much younger, more beautiful version, of course.

He inclined his head. "Of course."

She watched him until she was satisfied he meant it, before looking around. "What is this place?"

Sirius lifted a brow. "You won't tell me your secrets, but I am to tell you mine?"

Her eyebrow shot up. "I brought you news from home. It only seems fair."

Sirius nodded, accepting this. He thought about what to say and couldn't come up with anything that didn't sound…ridiculous.

"Ask me a different question."

Hermione eyed him but didn't comment.

"Alright. What have you been doing the past ten years?"

Sirius weighed his choices. Deciding to play it safe, he told her, "I own a bar."

Hermione gave him a blank stare. "A bar."

He nodded. "It's up above," he said pointing his steepled fingers to the ceiling.

She gave him an incredulous look. "And those men that brought me here, they were what? On a keg run?"

Sirius bit back a grin. She certainly had wit.

"You could say that," he finally said.

"But would you say that?"

Sirius didn't answer. He saw her become discomfited by his stare.

"Sirius," she said.

After watching her lips form his name, he tore his gaze away.

"I still have no idea who you are. But I will keep you on a need to know basis."

Hermione blinked in astonishment. "You don't trust me?"

"Should I have a reason to?"

There she went again, biting her lip. She didn't answer.

Sirius sighed and stood. "You must be exhausted." He crossed the room to another door. "You can sleep in here tonight. We can talk more in the morning." He turned to find her right behind him. He blinked at her nearness, his eyes going to the smooth skin of her neck. She stared up at him, her eyes disconcerted while terribly discerning.

Clearing his throat, he turned away clicking on a lamp. The room was not large, but cozy with a small fireplace in the wall on the right, the bed on the left, a wardrobe straight across from the door. "Bed's clean and you can borrow whatever you like from the wardrobe," he added, glancing at her bare legs again. He was tempted to ask about her clothing but decided it could wait.

"Do you require anything else?"

She shook her head. He nodded.

"Well, then I will see you after you rest."

And he took his leave.

Striding out of the outer chamber and into the hall, he found Rhys.

"Did you find out anything?"

Sirius slowly nodded. He gestured to the armory with a jerk of his head. As soon as he entered, he dismissed the men inside, who were sharpening weapons and closed the door behind them.

"What did she say?" Rhys asked.

"She is from my world. She got here the same way I did."

"Did she say who she was?"

Sirius shook his head, tracing his hand over the bejeweled hilt of a dagger, lost in thought.

"Why not?"

"Thinks I should remember on my own."

A beat. He was sure the younger man was frowning at this.

"Can we trust her?"

Sirius sighed. "I don't know. I certainly feel compelled to."

Rhys narrowed his eyes. "But you're not sure."

"Of course I'm not sure." He slammed his fists on the table before him. "I _can't remember her!_"

Rhys nodded. Tentatively, he asked, "What do you plan on doing with her then?"

Sirius sighed deeply. "I just don't know."

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A/N: Okeh, so there's the epilogue ending that I can handle for these purposes mentioned in there. In no land do I ever wish for Tonks and Lupin to die, so there you go=P I hope the Sirius/Hermione interaction was to your liking. Hermione might be a little undefined for the next few chapters as she's learning about everything, so don't hate me over that;P Sirius will be more stable in this story, since Hermione is the unstable one, what with her anti-social like existence the past five years and now being dropped into a new world.

So drop me a note if this still holds your interest. A big thanks to people who story-alerted - a few of you, I'm super flattered as I love your S/Hr stories;)


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMED: _(01/04/09) Edited: (4/20/09)_

**Pairings:** Sirius/Hermione

**Rating:** Mature (Eventually)

**Summary: **A twist on the Hermione as an Unspeakable and retrieving Sirius from the Veil. Crossover with the Final Fantasy X world, Lord Braska's period. May contain Rikku.

-**Chapter ****三**

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Hermione slept fitfully. She had nightmares of terrifying monsters with a thousand eyes and rows upon rows of jagged teeth. It was when she screamed out for Sirius to help her and he merely turned his back on her that she jerked awake.

Sirius jerked back as she sat up.

"Hermione?"

She blinked at him until he came into focus. Seeing the genuine concern on his face for some reason brought her to tears. She choked as she started to sob.

"Hey, hey, now." Concerned, Sirius sat next to her on the bed, gathering her into his arms. "It's alright. It was just a nightmare. Shh," he soothed as she soaked his chest with tears.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed when she finally managed to control herself. Wiping her eyes, she smiled gratefully when he handed her a handkerchief. Leaning away from him, she blew her nose. He respectfully shifted off the bed and pulled up a chair next to the bed.

"It's quite alright," he assured her. "Not to say that I'm comfortable dealing with crying women, but I understand you've been through a lot."

She sniffled, glancing at the side table. There was a tray of food. She was suddenly starving.

Sirius saw her gaze. "Please, eat. You'll most likely feel much better if you do." He stood and lifted the tray over her lap.

He saw her blush at the attention and wondered at it.

Sitting back down, he watched her tear into the meat. He smiled slightly. It was like watching Rhys eat. Which was actually refreshing seeing a woman do so. Most woman were dainty eaters around him, using the food to entice him into their beds rather than gaining any nutritional value.

When she'd eaten her fill, she glanced at him, her cheeks red. He smiled. "Feel better?"

She nodded as she swallowed. He handed her a glass, which she took gratefully and gulped down the wine.

Taking the tray, he set it aside before looking at her. Her features were no longer tense and she had relaxed against the headboard. Hair had come loose from her ponytail and hung in her face, framing her overly wide eyes, still sparkling from recently shed tears. The fact that she was in his bed, wearing his shirt and looked thoroughly rumpled did nothing to help him focus on the matter at hand.

"Sirius?"

He lifted his gaze to her face. Her eyes were wide and innocent.

"What's going on here?"

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He was fighting the urge to tell her everything. He knew nothing about her, but he was willing to put his entire livelihood in her hands. It made no sense.

"I'm going to need a little more from you first," he conceded.

Hermione turned to look straight ahead. "Ask me, then."

Glancing down at her impossibly small shorts, he said, "For starters, what are you wearing? Are you an explorer, or something?"

He got a smile.

"It was Halloween," she said. "I left in the middle of the party to go to my lab—"

"Lab?"

She turned to look at him. "Laboratory. In the Department of Mysteries where I work. I had a sudden … I don't know," she paused her brow creasing. "I suppose you could say epiphany or … an urge. Anyway, I noticed, from using Muggle technology that a decade after anything disappears into the Veil, its magical pulse increases exponentially for a short while. We even have a machine that shows landscapes appearing. It … well, it gave us hope that the Veil was a portal to another world, not necessarily the afterlife."

Sirius' mind whirled through her unfamiliar terminology. He frowned.

"So you decided to jump in?" he asked slightly incredulous.

She huffed. "Of course not. Though the impulse to was almost overbearing," she admitted, biting her lip. "I … fell. Sort of."

Sirius caught her slight hesitation. "How did you fall? Why would _anyone_ allow that thing to remain in anyone's path?"

Hermione sighed. "I was pulled."

Sirius' eyebrows shot up. "_Pulled?_"

Her face pulled into taught lines as she recalled the incident. "It was a monster…. There was smoke and eyes and hundreds of teeth. I thought it was going to eat me, but then I was thrust forward and suddenly I was falling."

She pulled her knees up to her chest, her eyes far away.

Sirius had never seen it, but he knew immediately what she spoke of. _Sin._ He'd heard enough stories about the monster to know how ugly and terrifying it was. Why it brought her here was the question.

"Well, my dear, I'd love to tell you that it was just your imagination," he said catching her attention. "But I'm afraid it is real."

Hermione simply stared at him.

Sirius rubbed at the scratch on his bedside table, his gaze thoughtful. "They call it _Sin_."

Hermione frowned. "_Sin?_ As in Original Sin?"

Sirius blinked at the Muggle reference, it sounding vaguely familiar. Hermione shook her head. "Nevermind. Why do they call it _Sin?_"

Sirius shrugged. "The fayth of Yevon believe it is their punishment for using machina and hurting the planet or some such nonsense. They've outlawed the use of it."

"Machina?" Hermione questioned.

"Machinery."

She lifted a brow. "You know what that is?"

He gave her a wry smile, as he reached for his piece. She glanced down at his pistol, her eyebrows lifting. Glancing back up at him, she said, "Do you still have your wand?"

He slid his gun back into its holster, shaking his head. "Don't need one here."

Her brow furrowed briefly in question.

"They have magic here. Warriors and summoners can learn it, given enough experience and training. Mages have a more innate talent for it."

"Have you learned it?"

Sirius bowed his head smiling. Hermione's own lips quirked, wondering at his humor.

"What?"

He glanced up at her, his eyes merry. "Seems since I already was magical, I was able to use it right off the bat."

"So that means…"

Sirius nodded at her. "You probably will be able to as well."

Hermione seemed to think about this. He studied her features, hoping for some glimmer of recognition. Suddenly, he realized she was staring back and he blinked, sitting up.

"Uh, would you like to get cleaned up? We have running water," he offered as he stood, heading towards the door.

Hermione nodded slowly, still wondering at his regard. She shifted sideways, moving her legs off the bed before lifting herself to her feet. She immediately stumbled, falling into the side table.

Sirius was at her side in a second. "Are you alright?"

She winced as she allowed him to right her. "It's nothing. My ankle is just sore from when I tripped."

Sirius frowned. "When did you trip?"

"Right before I was pulled into the Veil."

She tried to walk on it again, and winced in pain.

"Here, sit down," Sirius said, lowering her back onto the bed.

When she was seated, he retook his own seat and lifted her foot into his lap.

Hermione's face remained screwed up as she watched him rest his hands on her bare ankle. Her eyes flicked to his bowed head as he muttered something before returning to her ankle where his hands were glowing green.

Sirius glanced up to see the muscles in her face relax as soothing warmth flowed into her from his hands. He watched her eyes close as a dreamy look crossed her face before she opened them to stare at him in awe.

He gave her a heart-stopping grin. "Better?"

She nodded. "Yes, thank you." Her eyes dropped to her ankle where his hands continued to caress. It was doing funny things to her insides that had nothing to do with magic. "Sirius?"

He seemed to realize what he was doing and released her. Sitting back he clapped his hands on his knees. "Well. I'll see about that bath for you."

He stood, heading for the door again. She called out to him as he reached it causing him to pause before turning slowly to meet her gaze.

"Could you teach me that?" she gestured to her ankle.

He zeroed in on her leg before lifting his gaze and nodding. "Of course."

After her bath, she did indeed feel much better. As she sat in the hot water, she also had time to contemplate this new Sirius. He was far more together and considerate, thinking before he spoke. The Sirius she knew was reckless and anxious. Chomping at the bit, as it were.

She had pitied the old Sirius, having his life taken so cruelly from him. This one had an air of danger about him, but he was controlled. Confident. Rather than scaring her, it did strange things to her stomach and made her cheeks heat at what that meant.

It wasn't a thought process meant to be followed however. He was Harry's godfather, old enough to be her father – even though he didn't look it. She put it off to hormones and her biological clock ticking. This younger more handsome Sirius, despite whatever illicit side activities he was operating, was put together and dependable. Not at all like the one had she known. Naturally, she was interested.

Finishing her bath, she dried off, wrapping the towel around her as she moved out from behind the screen. On a chair laid a set of clothes. Lifting them, she smiled. Sirius had found some black pants that widened at the bottoms and a more modest purple tank top to wear.

Slipping them on, she noted all the pockets in the tight fitting pants, wondering briefly what she'd put in them. Next, she tackled her hair, wrestling it into double plaits. She ripped her old tank as it was already torn, to tie them off at the ends. It was drafty underground, so she pulled Sirius' shirt back on, tying it the same as before.

She checked her appearance briefly in the mirror before turning for the door. Opening it, she stopped abruptly seeing as a wall of hard muscle blocked her way.

"Miss Hermione," the wall said.

Looking up, she noted a dark-haired man with roguishly charming good looks inclining his head at her.

"Yes?"

"I am Rhys. Captain Black wished me to escort you to him when you were finished."

Hermione blinked. "For what?"

Rhys lifted a brow. "Did you not want to start your training?"

Hermione blinked rapidly. "Oh, yes. Of course."

Rhys inclined his head and turned. "Follow me."

Hermione strode quickly to keep up. "Rhys, is it?"

"Aye."

"How do you know Si—Captain Black?"

"For all intents and purposes, he's my father."

"—Oh."

Rhys looked over his shoulder, a small smirk reminiscent of Sirius on his lips. "Does that shock you?"

She gave him a sheepish grin. "A little."

"You knew him in your other world?"

She nodded slowly, not sure what Sirius had told him.

He smiled easily. "It's alright. He's told me about his past life. Didn't quite believe him until you showed up in the same fashion."

She looked ahead. "I just don't understand why he doesn't remember me."

A beat. "Were you someone important to him?"

Hermione frowned. "Well, I suppose not."

"But he did know you?"

Hermione looked up at him and nodded.

"…Do you mind my asking how?" Rhys asked hesitantly.

Hermione turned to look straight again.

"I saved his life…"

-

-

-

Sirius paced the training room. The calm he'd created since falling into this godforsaken world was slowly deteriorating. And all because of a blasted witch he couldn't remember!

Why was he drawn to her and what did she mean to him in his past life? He knew he could force it out of her. He didn't acquire all his wealth simply by saying please and playing nice. But it still would mean nothing to him if he didn't realize it himself.

Now, he'd promised to train her. Inadvertently, he'd taken on the role of her protector and didn't see a graceful way out of it. She was from his world that much was certain. He couldn't abandon her to a strange world where danger lurked around every corner. However, he couldn't have her underfoot and hope to keep operations running smoothly and quietly like before. Something had to be done.

The door opened then, and he paused in his plan to tread a hole in the floor. Rhys entered followed by Hermione. She looked around the large room. Sirius' gaze roved over her form, noting the close fit of her clothes. He knew they'd be tight, seeing as he'd never bought women's clothing before. However the effect was almost a little more than he could handle. His lips quirked when he saw she still wore his shirt though.

"Thank you, Rhys," he called, before giving him a dismissing nod.

Rhys nodded back before retreating from the room. But not before he bowed grandly to Hermione. "My lady."

She bit her lip, embarrassed, but nodded.

The wink he gave her before he disappeared irked Sirius. He cleared his throat to regain the witch's attention.

She glanced at him, her cheeks red.

He nodded to her, "Are the clothes to your liking then? I had to guess at your size so…"

She nodded her head. "Yes, they're fine. Thank you."

He nodded succinctly, still out of sorts.

"So." He started brusquely, startling her. "You want to learn how to defend yourself, right?"

Hermione blinked. "Uh, yeah. If that includes how to perform magic, then yes."

Sirius nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Good. Perhaps we can come to some sort of agreement then."

Hermione looked surprised. "Agreement?"

He nodded. "In exchange for lessons, you will give me your word that you will not speak of anything you see down here. If anyone asks, I am nothing more than a bartender and proprietor."

Hermione's gaze wavered as she considered. "Will you actually tell me what you do if I promise?"

Sirius nodded.

"Then I promise."

"Say it all."

Hermione sighed. "I hereby promise that in exchange for training, I will not speak of any activities I am privy to inside these walls. Happy?"

Sirius smirked. "Ecstatic," he deadpanned.

They commenced training then, him starting her out by focusing her energy using one of the four main elements; earth, fire, ice, and thunder; and using it on the clay statues at the other end of the room.

She was amazed at how easy it was. After a while though, she felt faint and eventually could no longer cast a spell. Looking to Sirius, he gave her an understanding smile as he walked forward.

"Aye, it works a little different here." His expression was apologetic. "You only have a certain amount of energy reserved for magic and once it's used up, you either have to drink this," he held up a vial of dark blue liquid. "Or sleep to regenerate."

She frowned at the vial. "What's it called?"

"Ether."

Hermione lifted a brow at him.

Sirius shrugged. "I didn't come up with the name, don't look at me." Handing it to her, he said, "Drink up. I promise it's not flammable."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she accepted the strange drink. Always nice to know you're not drinking something poisonous. Grimacing, she quickly threw it back. Sirius grinned as he watched her wipe her mouth as she swallowed.

Her eyes glazed over then before her body lit up briefly, leaving her with a dazed smile. Her dazzled eyes turned on him.

"That felt amazing."

Sirius smirked and nodded. "Aye. Now if you'd like, we can try out your magic on real fiends."

Hermione's smile dropped. "Real … fiends?"

-

A/N: Hope this answers some questions. I'm trying to mix Hogwarts magic with Spiran magic so I'm making up my own rules here. Again, a big thank you to everyone who has taken an interest in this story. Encouraging words are always welcome as I've never written these two together before. What with the horrible weather here and the darkness of winter right now, anything derogatory or even passive aggressive could possibly just make me cry =O Please read & review.

_Next Chapter:_ Hermione learns what Overdrives are. Sirius tells her his story.


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMED: (_01/07/09_)

**Fandoms:** Harry Potter, Final Fantasy X(10 Years before initial storyline)

**Pairings:** Hermione/Sirius, possibly Rikku/Auron

**Rating:** Mature (Eventually)

**Summary:** A twist on the Hermione as an Unspeakable and retrieving Sirius from the Veil. Crossover with the Final Fantasy X world, Lord Braska's period. May contain Rikku.

Sirius takes Hermione to train.

* * *

-**Chapter 四  
**

-

-

"Stand back!"

Hermione did as she was told, watching with no small amount of awe as Sirius whipped out his pistol with a complicated spin before releasing it into the air and diving into a forward roll before catching the gun and firing it three times at the fiend. It hit dead center and the fiend fell over with a cry and dissipated into hundreds of pyreflies - meaning wispy light rays.

Sirius slowly got to his feet as Rhys walked over to gather items left behind from the fiends.

"Where did you learn that?" Hermione asked.

He slid his gun back into its holster. "It's called an Overdrive. Depending on how much damage you take, or how much your companions take, you gain enough adrenaline to pull off some rather remarkable moves."

"Can I do that?"

"Of course." He said walking over to her. "The more experience fighting you get, the faster you can learn other Overdrives."

Getting into her fight stance, she eagerly spoke, "Show me how."

Rhys snickered as he passed them, catching Sirius' eye. Sirius shook his head at him, though he was smiling.

"We'll need a fiend first."

Hermione looked around before running off down the road. Sirius met Rhys' gaze again, nodding for him to follow. Rhys rolled his eyes before taking off at a jog after the errant witch.

From a distance, Sirius saw her encounter another fiend right as Rhys reached her. He saw Rhys speaking to her, telling her what to do.

"…just think of how it feels to be constantly told you're wrong and you're worthless until you've simply had enough," he heard his adoptive son say. "You retaliate, right? Well, this is the same idea. You'll feel your adrenaline pumping and your control snaps, releasing a bolt of energy. From there, you do what feels natural."

Hermione nodded as she concentrated. Sirius had to force himself not to interfere when she took damage. Rhys kept a Standby position, letting her handle the fight herself, allowing her adrenaline to build. When she finally reached snapping point, she lifted the staff they procured for her slashing it in four distinct lines, creating a diamond shape in midair, each line a different color – purple for ice, green for earth, red for fire, and blue for water. Expertly, she spun the staff in an intricate pattern around her body as she turned in a circle before thrusting her arms out sending the diamond of elements at the fiend. A bolt of fire, a convergence of ice, a wave of water, and an uprising of earth commenced in that order. She didn't know why but she felt compelled to wave her staff in a wide arc, blowing lightly in the fiend's direction. She and her companions watched stunned as the fiend was lifted off its feet and blown into the distance.

Blinking as she came down from her adrenaline high, she tried to figure out what just happened. That's when the elation hit her. She jumped up. "Yes!"

Turning, her face fell as she saw the stunned looks on both men's faces. She lowered her arms.

"Did I do it wrong?"

Rhys glanced at Sirius.

"No," Sirius said, finally, coming forward. "You did it perfectly. That is the surprise."

She frowned.

"It takes years to pull off moves like that," Rhys added, scratching the back of his neck. "Only summoners have that kind of natural talent for magic." His face turned chagrined. "Though, you're like Black in that way, I suppose, so I shouldn't be surprised."

Hermione looked at Sirius for confirmation. He nodded.

"You show better potential for the elements than I did, however." He lifted his gun onto his shoulder. "My talent is in sharp-shooting."

She stared at him overlong, her mind not appearing to be all there, before she tore her gaze away. "I want to see Rhys' Overdrive." She looked at him. "Your specialty is swordsmanship, right?"

Rhys nodded once. "Aye." He looked at Sirius a smirk appearing on his handsome face. Sirius returned it, inclining his head.

"By all means, show off."

Rhys full out smiled, before jerking his head at Hermione to follow. She glanced at Sirius curiously before jogging off after the younger man.

Rhys' Overdrive turned out to be a combination of punches and kicks that he managed to get in, in the middle of throwing his doubles swords high into the air and catching them before spinning and slicing the fiend in two. As the fiend dissipated into pyreflies, Rhys gave them a cocky grin as he sheathed his swords.

"Yeah, yeah. Pick up your bounty," Sirius said, his tone amused.

Hermione bit back a giggle as Rhys did just that before swaggering over to them.

"Are you done strutting about like a damned peacock?" Sirius asked.

Rhys gave him a bizarre look as his stride slowed.

Sirius shook his head. "Nevermind." He leaned close to Hermione to add, "I never knew how annoying it was for you whenever you made Muggle references until I came here."

Hermione looked at him startled as he leaned away. But he wasn't paying attention as he strode after his son. She blinked after him, wondering if he actually meant her, or all Muggleborns. Were his memories coming back? Not wanting to push it, she kept her mouth shut and hurried after them.

* * *

-

-

-

After a full day of battling fiends, Hermione was exhausted. She was also starving and couldn't decide which she wanted more – a warm bed or a hot meal. So she settled for both as Sirius drew her another bath.

He gave her long tunic of his to sleep in and she put back on her shorts underneath it before joining him in his antechamber for dinner.

"I didn't think you'd be comfortable eating with my men," he explained.

Truthfully, she didn't either and was grateful for the cozier setting. When she appeased the bulk of her hunger, she glanced at her dining companion speculatively.

"Speaking of your men," she started, sipping her wine, "what exactly do they do?"

Sirius glanced at her over the brim of his own wine before looking away. Wiping his mouth, he placed it next to his plate as he shoved it away, before resting his elbows on the table. The fact that technically he was done eating and it was _his_ table kept her from pointing out bad manners.

"I'm going to tell you a story." He started off. "It's about a boy who appeared to have everything, but underneath the façade he had very little.

"His family was rich and wanted for nothing. He had both his parents and a younger brother, servants, his own room. He was told he was better than the rest and should be proud of it, proud of his heritage.

"But he wasn't proud. His parents celebrated the deaths of Muggleborns like it was their right to die. His brother allowed their beliefs to color his own. He rebelled and they retaliated, praising the younger son and berating the elder for not embracing his heritage. When he didn't get sorted into Slytherin, they were outraged and eventually disowned him. Had it not been for his loyal friends in Gryffindor, he'd have had no place to turn to.

"After graduating, he had no real interests – Purebloods were raised to take their father's places and own stocks and be on boards that made important decisions about the wizarding world. He had no father anymore, so his path was uncertain.

"Voldemort was rising then, so joining the Order seemed like the right thing to do – it was the same idea he'd fought growing up, now he could actually do something about it.

"When his friends became the main targets and they had to go into hiding, he was their first choice as the Secret Keeper. However, it was thought to be too prosaic and it'd be safer if they used someone else. Only he knew who they trusted their Secret to instead." Sirius gave her a look. "You know the rest."

Hermione nodded slowly. "When you fell?" she prompted.

He nodded. "Being stuck in hiding, I felt useless. Worthless, as the only thing I was able to do before was taken away from me. What could I do against Voldemort, stuck in an invisible house? When I landed here, the first thing I saw was a fifteen year old Rhys standing over me. His dark hair and eyes reminded me so much of James and Harry, I…" He trailed off then, his eyes distant. "We bonded immediately. He was alone in this world, orphaned suddenly by Sin, and I knew nothing of this world. We helped each other, giving each other a purpose.

"Neither of us had any money, so we fought our way from town to town, earning enough to live on. But we couldn't continue that way. Then one day, Rhys heard two men in a bar talking about the Al Bhed and a treasure they were seeking."

Hermione frowned. "Al Bhed?"

"Aye, they're a race of people who don't believe in the fayth of Yevon. At least, they don't believe Sin is punishment for using machina." Sirius sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You could say they're the Muggleborns of the Wizarding World here."

"Ah," Hermione said.

Sirius gave her a brief apologetic look before continuing. "Anyway, we decided we had nothing better to do and went searching for it. We ran into the Al Bhed searching for it and ended up saving one of them. The treasure was underwater and the structure it was hidden in was inhabited by some unsavory looking monsters. They allowed us to join their party and help find the missing artifact and shared the spoils with us as a thank you.

"After that, we were able to buy the right gear and supplies to continue. Two jobs later, I was able to afford my own establishment. Treasure hunting was lucrative but chancy, so I set up house here for Rhys' sake and continued hunting."

Hermione gave him a confused look. "And it's an underground operation…why, exactly?"

Sirius sat back, his fingers fiddling with the stem of his glass. "Yevon outlaws treasure hunting and anything that involves machina. Seeing as most treasure is found underwater in sunken tanks…"

"It's a double offence," Hermione finished for him. She frowned, looking at his gun holster. "So isn't that illegal too, then?"

He glanced down at it before nodding slowly.

"Sirius," she admonished. "Aren't you worried you'll get caught?"

Sirius laughed. His throaty chuckle made her shiver slightly. She would not care to mess with this new Sirius, gun or no. She lifted an eyebrow, curious at his mirth.

"It's not an issue."

She frowned. "How can it not be? You're breaking the law. In biblical times when the faith ruled the state, they burned people for that kind of heresy."

"Because though they may be religious, Spirans are also living in hard times. They know not to bite the hand that feeds them."

Hermione's frown deepened. "I don't understand."

Sirius smiled, wanting suddenly to smooth the little furrows along her brow with his hands. "You don't think I keep everything I find, do you?"

She lifted a brow. "Are you saying you're a modern day Robin Hood?"

Sirius frowned. "Is that the guy who stole from the rich to give to the poor?" At her nod, he inclined his head. "If you wish to look at it that way, then alright." He leaned back, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. "Makes me sound more dashing rather."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless."

"Well, there you go. I'm a hopeless bar owner/treasure hunter. But I am content."

Hermione lifted her gaze to his. "Are you?"

Sirius' mood sobered. "Aye."

"What about Harry?"

Sirius held her gaze for a long moment before looking away.

"Sirius?" she prompted when he didn't answer.

"What do you wish me to say, Hermione?" he said, his voice resigned. "That if there was a way, I'd go back to him in a heartbeat?"

Hermione blinked, frowning slightly before nodding. "Well, yeah."

Sirius sighed. "Hermione, I love and miss Harry. You have no idea how much I wished to have been there for him growing up, to keep him from those horrible relatives of his. He is my last link to James and I will never stop missing him as well. But I had no life there. Existing for your family can only make you so happy before you need more." He gestured with a wide sweep of his arm. "I have a purpose here, a life, a home, a job. A son."

Hermione frowned, shaking her head in disbelief. "And you think you can't have one in the Wizarding World?"

"That option isn't open to me!" Sirius exclaimed, startling her. "Hermione, I fell into this world and I made the best of it. I created a life here. I can't just turn my back on it now."

Hermione looked at him sadly. "Can you turn your back on Harry?"

Sirius let out a mirthless laugh. "Hermione…what choice do I have?"

She frowned, shaking her head. "Did you even try to find a way back?"

"Hermione, before you got here, I never even thought there could be a way back."

"Well, then I will find it," she said, sitting up straight.

Sirius laughed derisively, causing her to narrow her eyes. "So confident…" he murmured.

She lifted a haughty brow. "Why shouldn't I be? I set out to find you five years ago and well, here I am, aren't I?"

Sirius let his gaze rove over her in a _very_ personal way, not caring that he was being rude, smirking when she shifted uncomfortably. She had opened old wounds that he didn't care to re-examine.

"Yes, you certainly are…" he said, his voice low.

Hermione shifted in her seat, trying to ignore his heated gaze. "Well then, I will find a way back home."

Sirius nodded calmly. "You do that."

Hermione huffed at his apathy. "Aren't you going to help?"

"I will not get in your way, if that's what you mean."

He could see she was getting angry.

"It wasn't and you know it," she retorted.

"What exactly do you think I can contribute?"

She bit her damnably lip again. "Information. You know this world as well as mine--ours."

Sirius conceded the point with a nod. "What do you wish to know?"

Her mind spun with questions, anything that would get him to show something other than absolute disregard.

"_Sin._" She said finally. "You said the monster that pulled me through the Veil was _Sin._"

Sirius frowned, unsure of where this was going as he nodded.

"So?"

"So, why didn't it eat me? Why pull me into this world instead?"

Sirius lifted an eyebrow. "You think a monster pulled you into this world simply to what, find me? And if so, it'd be able to send you back?"

Hermione admittedly knew it was a stretch but she was desperate. "Do you have another explanation for why it didn't kill me?" she lifted a haughty brow.

Sirius stuttered out a laugh. "You're serious?"

Hermione allowed a smile. "Actually, that would be you, but yes."

Sirius couldn't help but smile back at the quip.

"So what? You plan on searching out _Sin_ and having a little chat with it?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Hermione said. "There have to be people who document its history and how it works. I will talk to them, see if they've noticed anything peculiar about it."

Sirius shook his head. "This is a world run by religion. They don't delve too deeply into matters. It only exposes the fallacies they don't wish to see."

Hermione huffed. "Well, they can't possibly be content to let it run amok."

"They aren't," Sirius conceded. "The fayth choose the most worthy to become what they call Summoners, who pilgrimage to each temple to receive magical beings called Aeons to help defeat it, before receiving the Final Aeon. At the end, they defeat _Sin_ by sacrificing themselves and one of their guardians becomes the new _Sin._"

Hermione was frowning hard at this point. "Wait a minute. The _new Sin?_"

Sirius looked chagrined as he nodded. "They then have what they call the Calm. It usually lasts around ten years before _Sin_ returns full force and the process starts again."

Hermione shook her head in disbelief. "But that is ludicrous."

Sirius sighed. "You're preaching to the choir, my dear. But that is Yevon for you."

He could see her mind whirling as she processed the new information. It really was a wonder how fast it worked as she looked up at him only a moment later.

"So these Summoners…they come into contact with _Sin_ a lot then?"

Sirius narrowed his gaze. "Why?"

She bit her lip. He forced himself to not be distracted. "Perhaps if I join one as a…guardian, you say?"

"No," Sirius spoke.

"One of them has to be in need of a good mage, right?" she continued ignoring his proclamation.

"Hermione, you can't just…"

"What? I can't just what?" Hermione looked at him. "Sirius, you fall in the Veil and ten years later, I am pulled in by this creature. It can't be a coincidence."

"I don't see how it can be anything but," Sirius countered.

"Well, you can't possibly be sure if I don't at least try to find out why. Why I'm here and why this creature brought me here."

She stood, heading for the bedroom. Sirius stood as well.

"Hermione, you can't simply run off on your own. Your fighting ability is beginner at best—"

"You said I showed natural talent," she said, her eyes alight now that she had a plan.

"Aye, but—"

"I will simply go to one of these temples—is there one near here?"

"Yes, but—"

"I shall have to borrow some er, gil is what you called it? But I promise to pay you back."

Sirius watched helplessly as she scurried around his room, searching out a small rucksack to put the few items she'd collected during their excursion in.

"Do you guys have phones or anything? Any way of communicating? Hm, I suppose not if all technology is outlawed here. You do have a mail service in this world right? I can let you know of my progress that way then."

Sirius finally grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her to him. "Hermione!"

She blinked at him startled. "What?"

"It is too dangerous. You'll be a sitting duck on your own."

She frowned. "You did just fine."

"But I wasn't alone. And I didn't go looking for trouble." He shook his head, his voice strained. "I can't let you go."

Her brow furrowed slightly as she shook her head. "But you said you wouldn't stop me in this…"

Sirius gave a tired laugh. "I never expected you to take on the most horrifying creature – next to Voldemort – to do so."

"Sirius." Her quiet tone caught his attention as he focused on her, suddenly noting their proximity. Her eyes were wide and earnest, drawing him in. "I have to do this." She glanced to the side, her gaze searching for the words to make him understand. "This world…isn't mine. I can't let Harry down. I won't."

Sirius searched her face, noting the determination. He released her, turning away. She was effectively releasing him from any obligation to her, but he was rebelling. The urge to keep her in his sights was overwhelming. Perhaps it was the not knowing exactly who she was to him. Or it was simply more primitive than that and he simply wanted to protect what he felt was his. She was after all, from his world. His past life. Simply put, he wouldn't be able to bear it if something happened to her while he was off playing 'Robin Hood' as she put it.

Turning back around, he considered her. "I have a job," he said finally. "It involves the Al Bhed, so I must go myself. You can accompany me and if you prove yourself capable, I will let you go, no arguments."

Hermione looked at him warily. "A job."

Sirius nodded, a small smile quirking his lips. "You can swim, right?"

* * *

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A/N: A bit longer this time. Cannot tell you how hard it is to try and put real explanations behind all the moves (Overdrives/Limit Breaks) Final Fantasy characters can pull off from just pushing buttons on a controller=P Please do review. It's harder to tell you you rock teh awesomeness if you don't XD

_Next Chapter:_ Hermione and Rhys get into a dicey situation on their mission while Sirius frets.


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMED (_01/10/09_)

**Fandoms:** Harry Potter, Final Fantasy X(10 Years before initial storyline)

**Pairings:** Hermione/Sirius, possibly Rikku/Auron

**Rating:** Mature (Eventually)

**Summary:** A twist on the Hermione as an Unspeakable and retrieving Sirius from the Veil plot. Crossover with the Final Fantasy X world, Lord Braska's period. May contain Rikku.

* * *

-**Chapter ****五****-**

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Hermione sat on the back of the ship, attaching flippers to her feet. She wore the black and blue wet-suit Sirius had acquired for her, it covering her arms up to her elbows and going down to her knees. Her flippers now attached, she turned to grab her oxygen pack – it was smaller than a regular oxygen tank.

It lightened suddenly and she looked up to see Sirius smile in greeting as he lifted it for her, helping her with the straps.

"Thanks," she said.

He shook his head. Her eyes went to the side where Rhys was stretching and bouncing up and down, completely free of any underwater accoutrements.

Bobbing her head at him, she asked, "Why isn't he wearing any gear?"

Sirius glanced at his son, his eyes amused. "Rhys…is a blitzball player."

Hermione looked at him confused. "Blitzball?"

Sirius shook his head. "It's a sport they play underwater. You have to have supreme skill in holding your breath to play."

Hermione blinked. "They simply, hold their breath? No oxygen pack or anything?"

"Well, they do take breaks but everything goes quite quickly."

"Hey Princess, you ready yet?"

Hermione glanced over to see Rhys smirking at her with one brow raised. She lifted brow of her own.

"Princess?"

He shrugged. "You do take an awful long time to get ready."

Hermione gave him a haughty look. "My prerogative as a woman."

Sirius laughed. "Play nice, you two." In an aside to her, he said, "Think you can keep up?" She glanced up to see his smirk.

Standing awkwardly, she ignored him before diving in expertly. Sirius and Rhys shared an amused glance before Rhys too dove in. Sirius pulled out his sonar pack to keep an eye on them.

Hermione couldn't believe her eyes, literally. Sirius had given her goggles to go with her oxygen pack, and she had to say they were far superior quality to anything she'd worn in the past. She still had her peripheral vision, so she could make out Rhys swimming next to her. She was amazed at his ability to keep up with her for he lacked any flippers and she's had a head start. That Blitzball must be one hell of a work-out.

They saw an opening in the bulkhead of the downed ship they were next to and headed for it. Once inside, Hermione noticed two glowing dots off to the side before Rhys moved in front of her, blocking her view. She tugged on his foot to stop him. He glanced back at her with a frown as she frantically pointed.

His gaze shot to the side and his eyes widened as the ship suddenly started to shake. With a roar, the hugest monster she'd ever seen came shooting out of the dark.

Rhys took care of the bulk of the fighting. She simply concentrated on keeping them healed as her attack power was practically useless at that point. Even with all his training, Rhys was starting to wear down. Hermione finally reached her Overdrive and managed to blow the monster away.

Rhys turned to her to give her a weak thumbs up and smile before swimming on. She followed him into a large open area. It looked like the remains of a fancy ballroom, an upside down piano, laying broken at the bottom, dozens of rotting pieces of limber littering the area around it.

They turned down what used to be a corridor. Piranha-like creatures, only ten times as large jumped out at them. They handled them quickly, Hermione pocketing the leftover items. Turning into what used to be a stateroom, from the size of it, Rhys swam to a small closet.

Hermione held back as she watched him pull a device from his pocket before placing it on what looked to be chest. He set it blinking before turning and pulling her away. She got the hint and swam ahead of him out of the room. As they reached the end of the corridor, an explosion sounded, several pieces of the rotted foundation of the ship to fall around them.

Hermione turned in time to see a rather sharp and pointed piece heading straight for Rhys. With a muffled shout, she flung her hands out throwing him backwards, out of the way of the falling debris. He hit the wall, losing his breath. She swam after him, catching him as he sunk down, gasping for breath.

Catching his attention, she put her hand to her mouthpiece. When she saw he noticed, she pulled it from her mouth and put it to his. He took a few deep breaths from it before giving her a thumbs up. She nodded and removed the mouthpiece, and putting it back to her mouth to take a breath.

She looked him over and gave him a concerned look. He flashed her a grin to show her he was okay to go on. Letting him take the lead, she followed him back into the room. They had to move some bits of debris to get back in. They found the chest open though and after looking inside, Rhys gave her a grin before moving out of her way to see it.

What she saw was the most well preserved set of jewels ever found in underwater chests. It was set in a plastic coating to further preserve it. But that wasn't the most stunning thing about it. It was a rainbow of colors, the jewels shimmering even in the darkness of the sunken ship's interior. The necklace was beyond the description of gaudy, as was the tiara and bracelet. The ring was surprisingly simple, the jewels miniscule, set in a light gold band. Glancing back at Rhys, she saw him nod. Hermione went ahead and lifted the odd jewel case and slid it into her pack.

As soon as she did, their surroundings started to shake. Lifting her head, she saw the fragile remains of the walls start to break. Rhys gestured frantically to her. Hermione quickly pulled her pack back on as he grabbed her hand and pulled her along. Debris abruptly blocked their exit, causing Rhys to jerk back. Hermione quickly threw out her hands, calling upon fire to blast their way out.

As soon as the fire cleared, Rhys pulled them through the opening. He dodged around the falling limber, keeping her close. As they cleared the corridor, a loud roar shook the area, its vibrations throwing them off.

They looked around for the source and when they found it, Hermione realized the monster they first encountered had nothing on this…

* * *

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Sirius watched tensely, wishing the sonar showed more than moving shapes and green squares. He saw they'd found the dot they suspected was the treasure and were soon on the move again. He felt the ship shake suddenly then and had to grab the control panel before him for support. His breath hitched. _Oh shit._

Looking at the sonar, he saw they'd stopped. Another screen started blinking red, a warning beep accompanying it. Moving over to it, he saw a large red dot. Larger than anything should be. _Sin._ Pushing the alarm, a loud wailing siren went off, setting his crew in motion.

Sirius raced out to see one man readying the Gatling gun, another a cannon. He barked out orders for everyone to load up and be ready. He moved to the edge of the ship, where he expected Rhys and Hermione to surface. Pulling out his handheld sonar, he gave a frustrated curse as it was only static. Looking down, he tried to pierce the depths with his thoughts.

"Please, Merlin keep them safe."

* * *

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The terror she'd felt the night she was pulled in to the Veil did not prepare her for this. It was larger than she remembered and instead of screaming, all she could do was stare in horror.

Rhys let go of her to prepare for battle as it blocked their escape. She watched numbly as he slashed at it, it barely doing any damage. It did make the thing mad though. With a roar, it retaliated, its large tentacle lashing out at her. As she was frozen in terror, Rhys leaped in front of it.

Hermione snapped out of it as he was knocked in the head and thrown to the side. She stared in horror as he continued floating to the bottom, unconscious. Turning back to the monster before her, she felt her adrenaline build to breaking point. Summoning all her energy and rage, she threw everything she had at the monster. _Sin._

White hot energy burst from her hands, its intensity growing until it blocked out everything. She heard it scream in pain. As the light receded, it left behind a dark miasma that pulsed through the monster, sending it continually backwards. Not stopping to wonder at this, she immediately headed for Rhys, shaking off her dizziness.

Catching hold of him, she cursed mentally as he was like dead-weight. Grabbing him around the middle, she kicked as hard as she could, thankful for the flippers to propel her. The monster was still roaring in pain, crashing into walls as she headed away from it.

The monster's thrashing was quickly causing the deteriorating structure to destruct, crashing down around it. Hermione fought to get out before it took them with it. A large piece of metal slashed her shoulder and down her arm before she could clear it. Biting back a cry, she fought to keep a hold of Rhys.

She was near tears as she forced them up to the surface. She knew he was taking in water now that he was unconscious and she knew if she stopped for a moment, it could be too late for him.

Light from the surface grew but so did the numbness in her limbs. Her head was heavy and her shoulder stung. She no longer could tell if her legs were moving. Suddenly, she felt a break in the pressure around her and she dazedly realized she'd broken the surface. Rhys slipped slightly and she tightened her hold on him. She must've drifted off because the next thing she knew, hands were pulling her onto a ship. Sirius.

"Hermione? Hermione? Merlin… Get the med kit over here, now!"

Hermione tried to open her eyes as Rhys was lifted from her death grip. "Rhys…"

"We're taking care of him, love. Just rest," came his soothing response.

Hermione couldn't resist, her head rolling to the side as she let herself sleep.

* * *

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Sirius paced the room outside where Hermione slept. Rhys was in the room across the hall, machines beeping at him to assure him his heartbeat stayed steady and alive. His self-flagellating thoughts were the only thing keeping him going. Well, that and that Hermione was going to be okay.

He'd not been this hard on himself in a long time, the feeling rather unpleasant. He still couldn't believe how stupid he'd been in sending his son and a woman who – though with extraordinary magical powers – was still a relative beginner at it. The fact that _Sin _had only been sighted once in the past ten years was irrelevant. Yevon's official word was that it was indeed back and everyone should take precautions.

Sirius had not taken precautions and look where it gotten him. His son may never wake up and a woman that was slowly working her way into his psyche was injured.

When he was able to think rationally, he grew angry at _Sin._ Before, he'd never come into direct contact with it and it didn't appear to have any pattern, nor did he think of it as a real being, like Voldemort. It was simply a monster, designed to terrorize and destroy and that's what it did.

Now it was personal. First, it brought Hermione here, taking her from the world he left. He didn't know for sure, but if she knew Harry and him in that world, she was obviously someone important to Harry and he could only imagine what Harry was going through now that she was gone in the same fashion he himself had 'disappeared'. Now after pulling her into this world, it tries to kill her, injuring his adoptive son in the process. Whatever its damage, he didn't care. He wanted it to pay.

He knew it was hypocritical – not giving a shit until it affected him personally. But he was beyond that. This _thing_ was obviously after Hermione and if it actually had thoughts and a purpose, it wasn't going to simply forget about her. He got a sense that she wouldn't simply give up her quest to join a pilgrimage to find her answers either. She screamed Gryffindor and they really didn't know how to back down from a fight, he would know.

Sighing, he knew what he had to do. He hated leaving Rhys, but he'd be safer here as long as Hermione wasn't. Heading over to the corner of the room, he activated the glowing blue sphere. His third in command appeared as he made the necessary arrangements.

* * *

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A/N: Sorry it's a little shorter than usual. Please let me know what you think. Helps me write faster;)

_Next Chapter:_ Sirius takes Hermione to Luca and her first Blitzball game. They make new friends. Hermione discovers a new ability.


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMED (_01/14/09_)

**Fandoms:** Harry Potter, Final Fantasy X(10 Years before initial storyline)

**Pairings:** Hermione/Sirius, possibly Rikku/Auron

**Rating:** Mature (Eventually)

**Summary:** A twist on the Hermione as an Unspeakable and retrieving Sirius from the Veil. Crossover with the Final Fantasy X world, Lord Braska's period. Introducing Auron, Jecht and Lord Braska.

* * *

-**Chapter 六-**

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Hermione looked around her in awe. Sirius had brought her to Luca as soon as she was able. It was a large city, created from the ground up with cobbled walkways and bridges. According to Sirius, it was home to the Blitzball Stadium, Spira's only form of entertainment and heavily guarded from _Sin._ People's morale was low enough during _Sin's_ attacks – to lose this place would be devastating.

Right now, he was taking her to a Blitzball game just to show her what it looked like. They stood at one of the entrances, her eyes wide as she watched huge geysers of water shoot out from four different tubes, filling in a sphere. A force field of some kind was shaping it as she didn't see any visible means of containing the sphere.

She was jostled as a large group of kids went by, losing her balance and stumbling sideways. Sirius caught her by the arm, righting her. She smiled her thanks to him over her shoulder before turning back to the spectacle. He continued to stay close, his hands resting lightly on her arms.

Despite her interest in the water sphere, Hermione couldn't help the slow heat melting in her abdomen at his touch. It was innocent enough but somehow felt . . . possessive. It was oddly unsettling that she didn't seem to mind. Had Ron touched her in such a fashion, she would've surely inched away discretely. She felt no such inclination now.

Hermione nearly gasped when he bent his head next to hers before he pointed up saying, "Look."

She followed the direction of his finger and saw what had to be people swimming into the now full sphere of water. They did crazy loops and spins that normally you'd only see dolphins perform, showing off for the crowd. They stayed until the first goal before Sirius tugged on her arm. She nodded before turning to watch them face off as he led her backwards from the stadium.

Apparently they weren't the only ones with the same idea.

"Sirius, which way is the temp—"

"Whoa!" came a gravelly voice from behind them. "What the fuck, Auron. Who leaves before the end of a Blitzball game?"

Hermione and Sirius turned to see three men exiting the same corridor as them. One had no shirt and wore a bandanna around his head, long hair hanging over it, his skin a deep bronzed tan. The one he was glaring at wore a red samurai monk's robe, its top hanging from the waist revealing his armor plate. His long black hair was held back in a queue and his face was scowling. The third man wore elaborate priest's robes with a matching head dress. His face appeared kind and amused.

"We wasted enough time on this foolishness. This is not a joy ride, you fool," spoke the monk.

"Well _excuse me_, Auron. I forgot for the moment that you had a royal stick in the mud shoved up your—"

"Gentlemen," the man in the head dress interrupted smoothly. He came forward, nodding towards Hermione. "There is a lady present. Please, do try and mind your manners," he reminded gently.

Hermione gulped as she straightened. All eyes were focused on her. She glanced back at Sirius. He glanced from them to her, nodding slightly. Turning back to the men, she took a step forward.

"Sorry to eavesdrop but, one of you wouldn't happen to be a Summoner, would you?"

The shirtless man barked out a laugh. "You tellin' me you haven't heard of the Great Summoner Lord Braska?"

The man in the head dress gave a modest look. "I hardly think I am the 'Great' anything."

"Yet," the gravelly-voiced man conceded. He turned back to her. "Name's Jecht."

"Hermione," she replied.

He inclined his head at the others. "Like I said, this is Braska and this stick in the mud," he nodded to the scowling monk, "is Auron."

"It's Lord Braska," Auron corrected.

Jecht rolled his eyes as he turned to Sirius and Hermione. "This yer husband," he asked, nodding to Sirius, whom hadn't spoken yet.

Hermione's cheeks heated. "No. No, he is not."

Sirius thought she answered rather fast for his liking, but her voice wavered slightly, revealing her embarrassment.

"This is Sirius Bl—"

"Sirius," he cut in, stepping forward. "Just Sirius."

Braska bowed. "We are pleased to meet you."

Hermione bowed awkwardly in return, not sure what the proper return entailed. She glanced back at Sirius to see him bite back a smile at her clumsy efforts, to which she glared.

As they both straightened, Braska looked at them calmly. "So what can I do for you?"

Before Hermione could answer, a loud shot went off. Screams erupted from the stadium, people running out frantically. Sirius pulled her to him and out of the way of the stampede just in time.

"What's going on?" she said into his chest, her breath hitching.

"I don't know."

Glancing around the corner, he saw the amount of people wasn't going to slow any time soon and looked up. He knew it was a long shot, but on the way into town, he noticed Hermione had a strange affinity for wind. If he could just get up there…

Nudging her, he said, "Hermione, do you think you could use your magic to get us up there?" He pointed up at the long swinging lamps.

Hermione looked at him as if he were insane. "Even in the wizarding world, you know that is quite difficult. I don't think--"

"Try," he interrupted, causing her mouth to shut with a snap. Taking her hands, Sirius softened his tone. "Please, just try it. We have to get inside." His tone was urgent and her heart swelled at him including her in the 'we'.

Inhaling, she nodded. His face became relieved, his hands squeezing hers. "I don't know if I'll be successful, but I'll try."

Closing her eyes, she concentrated on summoning wind. She felt a breeze surround them, but nothing else happened. Opening her eyes, she looked at Sirius disappointed. "Now what?"

He gave her an unsure look. "Try _wingardium leviosa_?"

She gave him an exasperated look. "Be serious."

He merely grinned at her. Realizing what she said, she pursed her lips at him, not amused. Rolling her eyes, she turned away.

"Fine. _Wingardium leviosa_. Whoa!"

Hermione yelped as she abruptly left the ground. She reached out for Sirius whom immediately grabbed her hand.

"Sirius!"

"Hold on!" he called back as she lifted them both from the ground.

"What do I do?!"

"Concentrate on which way you want to go. Like flying a broom."

"I haven't flown a broom in years!"

"Just try!"

Imagining herself on a broom, she managed to get them to level out and stop rising. Urging them forward, she flew them over the panicking crowd to the lamps. Sirius' hand slipped from hers then but before she could panic, he grabbed the lamp swinging forward to catch the next one. Awkwardly, she followed him, keeping herself afloat. She nearly fell out of the air when she saw him do a flip from the third lamp before landing nimbly on the railing guarding the stadium. _Where had he learned to do that?!_

Landing on the ground next to him, she stumbled into the railing. Gripping it, she paled at the sight before her. The water sphere was tinged with red on one side, a body plastered to the bottom of the force field.

Sirius hopped down as she covered her mouth with her hands. He turned her, pulling her to his chest. She went willingly, horrified at what she was seeing.

"Who would do such a thing?" she asked brokenly.

"He looks to be an Al Bhed," Sirius said. "Most likely, Yevonites," he replied sadly.

"But I heard a gun-shot," Hermione blinked confused. "I thought Yevonites didn't use fire-arms."

"A cover-up then."

"STOP! Hey, you there!"

They looked up to see a Stadium guard yelling at four masked men who were running their way. Sirius quickly turned, putting her behind him.

"Sirius, you can't!" Hermione called. "Everyone will see your weapon!"

Sirius didn't answer. He merely pulled a stick out from inside his jacket. Holding it out before him, it extended into a full length staff, its edges tipped in razor sharp blades. He did a quick scan on the enemy before calling out to her.

"They're resistant to magic. Here!"

She caught the weapon he tossed at her, looking at it in awe. It was a compact chakram and when she tapped it, it extended with some lethal looking edges.

"Sirius, I don't know how to use this," she said, uncertain.

"Just slash them with it," he called over his shoulder. "You can do it, Hermione. Just focus."

Hermione moved out from behind Sirius, trying to do just that. She flexed her grip on the strange weapon, suddenly nervous about doing hand to hand combat. With magic, you needn't be closer then you could aim.

"Watch me, Hermione!" Sirius called.

She glanced up in time to see him turn and rush forward, spinning at the last second, slashing one man twice, before leaping backwards. Blinking, she pictured the steps in her head.

"Now, Hermione!"

At Sirius' yell, she ran forward. At the last second, she spun slashing the man on her way around, before scrambling back out of the way. It wasn't perfect, but it did the job. The target was wounded. As Sirius went in to strike again, she cast Haste on herself and then him before setting up a barrier, quickening their attacks. She continued to heal them as Sirius attacked. He used his Overdrive twice before she reached hers since he continued to block hits for her. There were only two of them left; the leader with half his health and another with full health.

"Go ahead, Hermione!" Sirius grinned.

Flicking him an amused glance, she then closed her eyes, concentrating. Not wanting to do her flashy bright-miasma one, she concentrated on calling the elements.

Successfully, she drew the diamond of elements in mid-air with her chakram before sending waves of powerful magic at their assailants. Though they were resistant, it still did enough damage to take half their remaining health. Blowing out a stream of air sent them flying after that.

Sirius smiled at her as she turned to look at him, both breathing heavily. "I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing you do that," he said, his eyes admiring.

As she started to smile, they heard a deep gravelly voice say, "Me too!"

Turning, Sirius and Hermione watched as Jecht, followed by Auron and Lord Braska approached them.

"Damn, woman," Jecht exclaimed. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

"I—" She spoke, glancing to the side at Sirius. He nodded. "It just comes naturally."

"So you're a witch or something?" Jecht asked, crossing his arms.

Sirius and Hermione bit back grins while Auron said, "The term is Black Mage."

Jecht looked from the monk to Hermione. "A Black Mage? That make you evil or something?"

"Or something," Sirius murmured.

Hermione turned to glare at him until she saw his grin. She hit him in the ribs instead.

Auron was sighing. "It's simply a term used for magic users who use it to attack rather than heal."

"Oh, I can heal too," Hermione spoke up.

All the men looked at her. She blinked and shifted nervously under their regard. "Is that…bad?"

Lord Braska stepped forward. "No, my dear. It's simply unusual. Most people can only do one or the other."

"Oh," Hermione said. "Well, I was hoping I could possibly lend my skill to your journey."

Braska blinked. "You wish to join my pilgrimage?"

Hermione nodded. Braska glanced over to Sirius, who nodded.

"As your guardians," Sirius clarified.

Hermione turned her head to look at him, surprised. "Guardians?" she repeated emphasizing the plural.

Sirius lifted a brow, smirking slightly. "You didn't think I'd let you out of my sight, did you?"

Hermione snapped her jaw shut as Jecht came forward.

"You guys wanna join up too? You heading for Zanarkand then?"

Hermione blinked as Sirius nodded, the location not familiar to her. Auron came forward then.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

Hermione didn't understand. Obviously they were well equipped to fight and they only wanted to help. Sirius appeared unfazed though.

"I have no qualms against Lord Braska, nor the Al Bhed," Sirius said. "_Sin_ attacked my family and now my son may never wake up."

Hermione glanced at him, her eyes full of guilt but he wasn't looking at her.

"I simply want retribution."

Auron held his gaze a moment longer, before giving a gruff nod. Braska looked from Auron to giving Sirius and Hermione a smile.

"Well, if there are no objections then, I'd be happy to have you join my pilgrimage." To Hermione, he added, "I'd like to see your healing spells. Have you been using it for very long?"

Hermione bit her lip unsure of what to tell him. Compromising, she said, "I've always had the inclination. I've done loads of accidental magic, but actually casting spells like this, it's only been a week."

Braska blinked, before he smiled again. She liked this guy – he didn't seem to have a mean bone in him. "My, you are full of surprises."

Sirius cleared his throat. "Braska, from which way have you come?"

Braska lifted his head. "We took a boat to Besaid and are traveling north."

Sirius bobbed his head. "I have a few friends farther north that will give us shelter."

Braska nodded. "We thank you. You have enough provisions for a while? We are rather low ourselves, but we can share…"

"Lord Braska," Sirius said, catching the man's full attention. "I am more than willing to fund the entire pilgrimage. Just as long as you and your comrades will endeavor to protect us as one of your own, as we intend to do for you." He made a general statement over the whole group but the three men could see his eyes moving to Hermione as he spoke. It was understood.

Braska nodded. "We can do that. I thank you greatly. However, I must warn you, we may not be welcome in a lot of places."

Sirius smirked. "Let me take care of that."

Auron eyed him suspiciously. "Gil won't buy everyone."

Sirius simply stared at him. Hermione glanced between the men nervously. Hoping to break the tension, she spoke hesitantly.

"Sirius'…name holds a bit of sway, I'm told. What his er, gil can't do, his um," she bit back a grin at what she was about to say, "intimidating manner can."

Jecht glanced to his side. "You'd know somethin' about intimidatin' manners, wouldn't ya, Auron?"

Auron rolled his eyes. "Were that true, I would have been able to intimidate you into shutting up for two seconds."

Hermione leaned over to Braska. "Are they always like this?"

Braska sighed. "I'm afraid, yes." In an aside, he added, "Though it does make for a more interesting trip, I must say."

Hermione smiled, nodding. "Still, I'll help keep the blood-shed to a minimum."

Braska smiled back. "I'd be much obliged."

* * *

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A/N: Alrighty, there is the newest Prince of Persia influence in there with the wind magic-lifting there. I just thought that was so cool in the game and I loved the dynamic between Prince and Elika, I had to add it;D To anyone who's finished that game, it will NOT end the same - I don't generally like angst as I already avoid it in real life, so inviting it in something I enjoy just seems silly. There will be enough to create suspense at points (I hope) but I'm your "they lived happily ever after" type.

I kinda glazed over my Luca description but if you really want to see what it looks like, type it in at Blue Laguna . net or in YouTube. Verra purty;D

_Next Chapter:_ Sirius and Auron have a talk.


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMED: (_01/17/09_)

**Fandoms:** Harry Potter, Final Fantasy X(10 Years before initial storyline)

**Pairings:** Hermione/Sirius, possibly Rikku/Auron

**Rating:** Mature (Eventually)

**Summary:** A twist on the Hermione as an Unspeakable and retrieving Sirius from the Veil. Nothing is what it's meant to be. This'll change all that. Crossover with the Final Fantasy X world, Lord Braska's period. WILL contain Rikku

Short one this time. Auron and Sirius have a little talk. As do Hermione and Sirius.

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-**Chapter 七**-

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Sirius was a in a foul mood. Jecht, as far as he was concerned, was a lecher, staring at Hermione's ass whenever he could. And Braska was worse, his kind-hearted nature drawing her in like a moth to a flame. He knew she was beautiful and desirable. Her grasp of combat and magic alone made her interesting.

He knew he had no real claim on her, but that never stopped him from taking what he wanted before. However, she wished to leave, return to a world where he had no place anymore. His life was here. And he had no wish to dally with someone who may or may not have been important to him in his other life. She seemed to be important to Harry and that was enough to stop any nefarious plans he could have for her.

The thought to try and convince her to stay never entered his thoughts. However, he couldn't rid himself of his jealousy as he watched her laugh and talk with Braska.

Thankfully, Auron was there to distract him. The suspicious monk walked beside him behind the others, his gruff presence calming.

"You are familiar," Auron spoke.

Sirius glanced to the side, an eyebrow raised. Auron stared straight ahead, however.

"Am I?" Sirius spoke lightly.

"Your picture," he said. "It is posted in Bevelle."

"Is it now."

"Under a wanted sign."

Auron then fixed him with a hard stare. Sirius returned it with a supremely unconcerned look of his own.

"How much?"

Auron frowned. "What?"

"How much for my capture?"

"…50,000 gil."

Sirius blinked, looking unimpressed. "Well, it has gone up."

"You hope to clear your name with this pilgrimage?"

"I already told you why."

"You knew Braska wasn't the most liked Summoner and thought he'd be an easy target—"

"Think what you wish." Sirius rolled his eyes to look at him. "Braska seems happy enough. Why can't you be?"

Auron glared. "Braska is too kind-hearted at times. He only sees the good in people, never the bad."

"Ah, and you think I'm bad news? Because a bunch of geezers who believe machines are the reason for _Sin_ decreed one shouldn't be free to live their life as they please? The same ones who look down on your Lord Braska's marriage to an Al Bhed woman? These are the ones you wish to live your life by?" Sirius gave a derisive snort. "They are the criminals, not I."

"A pretty speech by a con-artist."

Sirius lifted a brow. "What exactly have you heard about me?"

Auron glanced at him. "You go by the name Black. You use women as you do dish-rags. You kill a man for breathing in your direction and no sacred place is safe from your greedy paws."

Sirius barked out a laugh. "You have been running in the wrong circles, my friend."

"You deny it?"

Sirius rolled his head, conceding a nod. "I suppose some of it's true. I'm a little bit more selective about my women – I actually prefer them _not_ to be dish-rags – and aye, I would kill a man, if his breath stank enough and he was rude enough to breathe on me. I do go by the name Black and yes, downed ships and machina do not hold any spiritual value to me."

Auron took this with a sigh. "I would ask if anything is sacred to you, but I doubt it would get me anywhere."

"Many things, actually," Sirius conceded. "My family, friends, home." His expression suddenly became serious. "I always protect what is mine."

Auron inclined his head. "As do I."

Sirius nodded his head as they came to an understanding. Auron's gaze moved to the only female of the group.

"What is your attachment if you two are not married?"

Sirius glanced from to Hermione. "Honestly, I'm not sure."

Auron frowned.

Sirius chuckled. "She fell from the sky, much the same as I did ten years ago."

Auron's eyebrows lifted. "Fell from the sky?"

Sirius nodded. At Auron's doubtful look, he laughed. "I know it sounds farfetched and believe me, I usually keep it to myself. However, since we are sharing... Or rather I...am sharing."

Auron gave him an assessing look before conceding, "It was about ten years ago that your…exploits started to reach the temple."

Sirius gave him a considering look, noting he did not offer anything about himself before bobbing his head. "So, though I can't remember her, Hermione claims to know all my past acquaintances from my world."

Auron's brow furrowed. "You don't remember her?"

Sirius shook his head. "I can remember everything up to two years before I arrived here, but nothing after that."

"And she will not tell you who she is?"

Sirius stared ahead, his eyes fixed on the woman in question.

"She wants me to remember her in my own time."

His tone took on a thoughtful quality, so Auron left him alone, processing what he'd learned about the newcomers. Jecht too claimed to be from somewhere else, though only a different time. It was odd that there were so many of them all the sudden. The most likely reason was _Sin's_ toxins. Something made him discount that however. He'd simply keep an eye on the two. Auron inwardly sighed. Not like he didn't already have to watch Jecht. This was going to be a long trip.

* * *

"How are you?"

Sirius looked up from his contemplation of the fire. Hermione moved to sit next to him on the log. It was their second night and they hadn't managed to make it to an inn or town, so they were roughing it.

"Rather well, under the circumstances."

Hermione cocked an interested brow.

Sirius smiled to show it was nothing serious. "Jecht," he said, nodding to the gruff Blitzball player across the camp, training with a frustrated Auron. "Don't know whether to buy him a whiskey or clock him over the head with his own sword."

Hermione twisted her lips, trying not to smile. "He is rather trying, isn't he?"

Sirius snorted. "Like a boy trapped in a man's body."

Hermione nudged his shoulder with hers. "You used to be like that once too, you know."

Sirius blinked, suddenly looking at her interested. "I was?"

Hermione smiled and nodded. "Oh, aye. Drove Molly batty. Harry sometimes acted more mature than you."

Sirius frowned. "Molly?"

Hermione cocked her head. "Weasley?"

"Oh," Sirius said, "Right. I recall her brothers were in the Order, right?"

Hermione nodded.

"So even after Azkaban, I was a ne'er do well, ay?"

Hermione nodded, her eyes going downcast. Sirius noticed, cocking his head at her. "What is it?"

She twisted her lips, biting the bottom one slightly. "I just wish . . ." She turned large eyes on him, making it impossible to look away even if he wished to. "Of all things that you lost in your past life . . . that it'd be your time in that place."

Staring into her caramel-colored eyes, Sirius became overwhelmed with the need to know who she was. "How do I know you?" he murmured.

Hermione shook her head. "You didn't." Looking away, she added, "I was merely a bookworm. Hardly worth noticing."

"I highly doubt that. Hey," he said softly, grabbing her chin and turning her back to him. Her eyes were sad and vulnerable. He suddenly realized how hard it was being here for her. Being here and not being remembered. "You are very memorable," he told her. "The only reason I can think of for me not knowing you is that the longer you are here, the more you forget of your past life."

Hermione frowned. "You mean, if we stay here long enough, we won't remember anything of the Wizarding world?"

Sirius nodded. "Quite possibly."

Hermione looked away. Staring into the fire, she thought about how she'd feel if she didn't remember Harry or Ron. They were her whole life for so long, she couldn't imagine it. Hogwarts. It had been as much her home as the library was. She'd give anything to have a Pensieve at the moment to preserve her memories before they could get away.

He shifted next to her then, catching her attention. She turned to see him pull something from his pocket. It appeared to be a small carved wooden figurine. He stared at it a moment, holding it out before him, before sighing and holding it out to her. Taking it, her lips parted in surprise. On closer inspection, she realized it was a perfect likeness of Harry, as he was at age thirteen. The year they saved Sirius from the Dementors. The detail was stunning. Hermione felt her lip tremble. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed Harry until that moment.

"Turns out I'm good with my hands," Sirius spoke, his voice soft not wanting to startle her from her reverie. "I have others. You can have that if you like."

Eyes shining, Hermione turned them on him. He met them evenly.

"Thank you." She sniffed, before turning away, wiping her eyes.

"Hey."

Hermione blinked as Sirius jostled her.

"Come on, let's train a bit. Show you how to use your new weapon properly," he said with an understanding grin.

She understood what he was doing. He was trying to distract her and it was working. She hated how inadequate she felt holding the beautiful weapon.

So when he stood, she allowed him to help her up and lead her to the opposite side of the clearing away from Auron and Jecht. Braska opened his eyes from where he'd been meditating across the fire, a small smile tracing his lips.

* * *

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A/N: Shorter than usual. Sorry bout that but there was simply no other way to split it. Do review - I will have crippling self-doubt if you do not, if only to say you are still interested;P

_Next Chapter:_ Sirius pisses Hermione off;)


	8. Chapter 8

DISCLAIMED: (_01/21/09_)

**Fandoms:** Harry Potter, Final Fantasy X(10 Years before initial storyline)

**Pairings:** Hermione/Sirius, possibly Rikku/Auron

**Rating:** Mature (Eventually)

**Summary:** A twist on the Hermione as an Unspeakable and retrieving Sirius from the Veil. Nothing is what it's meant to be. This'll change all that. Crossover with the Final Fantasy X world, Lord Braska's period. WILL contain Rikku.

* * *

-**Chapter 八**-

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"Sirius!" Hermione shouted angrily. "What on earth is the matter with you?!"

He tumbled to the ground, his body shaking with laughter, as she landed gracefully several feet behind him.

"You do _not_ leap off a cliff on the assumption that I will be able to catch you!" she continued as she stormed towards him. Since he continued to laugh, she pushed him over with her boot. He fell to the side rolling on his back.

Folding her arms, she stared her nose down at him.

Sirius merely smiled. "But you did indeed catch me, my dear."

"That," she said kicking him in the side, "is not the point!"

Sirius groaned, still laughing as he rolled to his injured side.

"Fiery wench," he muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, my dear."

"Sirius!"

Barking out another laugh, he got to his knees, lifting himself upright as Hermione turned on her heel and stormed away.

"Aw, Hermione," he said between laughs. "Come on, love. Don't be like that."

She didn't respond, just disappeared into the foliage.

Auron, Braska, and Jecht caught up with them then. Jecht barked out a laugh.

"What the fuck did you do now?"

Sirius looked back at them before sighing, getting to his feet.

"I believe she finds me a tad reckless."

Auron snorted. "A tad?"

The stiff monk hadn't been too keen on their party's newest edition, and still wasn't. However, they did have their uses. Sirius' funds and arsenal of weapons proved useful in and out of battle and Hermione's strange magical powers saved them all from serious injury and consequential delay several times already. He'd never seen anything like the things she could do. Had she not seemed so down to earth, admonishing Jecht for his drinking and swearing like a mother hen, and asking as many questions as she could of him and Braska about their training, he would have thought she was some sort of mystical sorceress.

What was their greatest strength though, was their entertainment value. Braska never laughed – not since his wife died several years ago. He was always calm and serene, but never joyful. Since Sirius and Hermione had joined their ranks, Auron would find his friend chuckling under his breath whenever Hermione put Sirius in his place or he would make a double entendre that would usually take her a minute to catch.

Even Auron would catch himself, turning his laugh into a gruff bark. He only shortened it as Jecht liked to bug him about the stick slowly dislodging from his rear whenever he did. The man was vexing to say the least. Why Braska allowed them to pick up the drunk stray with a foul mouth from the Bevelle prison was beyond him.

Sirius grinned as he brushed the dust from his pants. "You know her temper, Auron. Explodes at the drop of a hat, that one."

"Hn." Auron grunted. "You know this as well. Which is why I can't understand your need to provoke her." He lifted a brow. "You know she could blast a hole through you, if she wanted."

Sirius' grin was boyish. "That is the thrill of it."

Jecht snorted, crossing his arms. "How so?"

Sirius headed over to the treasure chest, his whole reason for his death-defying leap into mid air. "Knowing a woman could kill you with the lift of her finger, and still she doesn't." Winking at them over his shoulder, he added, "Makes a man feel loved."

Braska chuckled. "Oddly enough, I think I see your point."

Sirius opened the chest, picking up a strange crest, eyeing it. "Aye?"

Jecht shook his head with a grin. "I've done some crazy shit for love but I don't know about that."

Auron came forward. "What have you found?"

Sirius glanced at him over his shoulder before standing up slowly. "I'm not sure. A crest of some sort."

Braska stepped forward, eyeing the item. "A Star Crest. They're used to create one's ultimate weapon."

Jecht looked bemused. "Ultimate weapon?"

Sirius frowned. "For who?"

No one seemed to know.

Auron spoke up then. "Perhaps Hermione might have some idea."

Sirius winced. "Of course she would."

Jecht barked out a laugh. Clapping a hand on the man's shoulder, he said, "Good luck, man."

"An apology first, might be best," Braska added with a quirk of his lips.

Sirius sighed, pocketing the crest as he turned to take the long way back to higher ground. They were currently outside the Djose Temple having finally made it down the long Mi'ihen Highroad. The temple was surrounded in an electric barricade while a Summoner was inside, making the floating stone wall impenetrable. As that seemed to be the case at the moment, they were scouting out the surrounding area while they waited.

As Hermione had grown more acclimated to her surroundings, Sirius found joy in irking her 'delicate sensibilities' as he liked to put it. She was intolerant of Jecht's foul language and he found she was a force to be reckoned with when angry. However, Sirius simply found her beautiful in her enraged state and tried his best to get under her skin whenever he could.

When they trained together at night, he would deliberately hold back. At first, he had done it simply because he didn't want to hurt her. But she could immediately tell and grew irked that he would go easy on her 'because she was a woman' or some such nonsense. Seeing as he was in a no win situation, he would play at attacking harder, pulling back when she'd get in a strike, claiming he was still going easy on her. Her eyes fairly glowed in anger at that point and wind would ruffle the wisps of hair that escaped from her plaits.

However, this would be the first time that he had to ask her help and right after he peeved her off rather sorely. He admitted he had no idea if she would really catch him when he jumped but he decided on the spur of the moment to take a leap of fayth, as it were. Suicidal maybe, but with the healing magic in this world, his chances of survival were much higher.

The point was he knew he could trust Hermione with his life now. Even when she hated him, she was still willing to jump off a cliff after him should the need arise. Now he just had to apologize. Grovel at her feet if need be. He smiled at the thought, knowing she'd have to forgive him.

When he reached the clearing and looked around, however, what he saw made him see red. A sturdy but handsome looking blond was currently showing Hermione his wares. Actually, it looked more like he was inspecting her face, if his hand lifting her chin was any indication. Storming across the clearing, he pictured several rather inventive ways to separate blondie from his offending appendage.

"Hermione."

She turned, blinking at the sudden appearance of Sirius. Blondie released her chin then and that was the only thing that saved his life at that moment.

"Yes? Can I help you?" her tone cool.

He placed a possessive hand on her waist, smiling tightly down at her. "We were worried about you, running off like that." Shifting her towards him, he stepped slightly in front of blondie, his free hand lifting to Hermione's face. Softening his tone, he said, "Are you alright?"

Hermione stood there, gaping up at him. Caring Sirius always did this to her. She could barely fend off charming Sirius, but this . . . .

"I . . . ."

"I'm sorry about what happened," he said, his voice whisper soft. "I should've been more careful. Forgive me?"

Hermione stood there dazed, his thumb softly caressing her cheek as he stared at her with soulful eyes.

"A-alright . . . ."

Sirius smiled, his head lowering. Someone clearing their throat loudly interrupted his descent however.

Sirius turned to look behind him, Hermione glancing past him, looking sheepish. Blondie had his brow lifted at them.

"Were you interested in those runes?" he asked her.

Hermione blinked, having totally forgotten about the other man with Sirius' appearance.

"Oh, right. Yes, actually."

Sirius frowned, as she pushed him aside, looking at a tome blondie held out before him. Standing behind her, he looked at the open book over her shoulder.

"Would the lady's husband care for one as well?" asked blondie.

Hermione's head lifted at that. "Oh. Actually, he's . . . ."

"What are they?" Sirius interrupted his voice gruff.

"Runes. Tattoos with different magical properties," the other man explained. "Some are for protection, some for luck, some for battle prowess."

"How much for a protection one?" Sirius asked.

Hermione glanced between the two men, her expression bemused.

"Depends, actually." The man flipped to the middle of the tome. "These are simple and hurt the least giving you minimal protection."

Hermione came to herself, going into learning mode. "Minimal protection? Like from . . . ."

"Minor wounds," the man shrugged. "Mainly flesh wounds. The heal rate is 100%. Anything stronger than that, you'll need more protection or really powerful healing magick. Oh, and not to mention the pain while you're healing."

"You're saying it minimizes the pain ratio as well?" Sirius asked, lifting a brow.

Blondie nodded with a grin. "These," he flipped to another page, "minimize heavy wounds pain by half, healing rate sped up by 75%."

Hermione gasped as she saw the beautiful, intricate designs. If she looked hard, she could see faint traces of runes mixed in intermittently among the ink. The one that caught her eye reminded her of one of those spiral wind dials her aunt Nell was always so fond of. Broad sweeping lines curved around each other, creating an almost 3-D effect. It was large, however and the only place she could think of it fitting was her back.

"How much is that one?" Sirius asked, pointing to the one she'd been eying. Her eyes shot up to him quickly before turning to the man as he answered.

"10, 000 gil."

Sirius whistled low. He had that kind of money, that was not the problem. He just thought the price was rather exorbitant.

"How about 5,500?" he haggled.

Blondie blinked before smiling. "9,500."

"6."

"8, 5."

Sirius' jaw twitched. "How bout you take 7,500 and I forget how you had your hands on my wife."

Hermione watched the interplay between the two men with something akin to fascination. She blinked as Sirius called her his wife, his tone lowering dangerously, making the other man gulp. She watched him glance down briefly before looking at Sirius.

"I-I'm sorry." He stuttered. "I didn't see any tattoo, or I wouldn't have."

"Do we have a deal?"

Coming to her senses, Hermione turned to Sirius. "Wait."

Biting her lip, she looked up at the man. "How long has the current Summoner been in there?" she nodded to the temple.

"They entered only just before your party arrived, my lady."

"And how long do they usually take?"

He shook his head. "It depends on the Summoner. Some take a few hours. Others take days."

"How long would this take?" she said, pointing to the desired tattoo.

"Five hours." He glanced nervously at Sirius. "Tops."

She glanced up at Sirius. "I don't want to hold up Braska."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Let me take care of them."

"But, Sirius . . . ."

"We've more than earned our keep so far, Hermione," he interrupted. "You are invaluable to them and if you plan to continue doing so, you need better protection."

When she didn't argue further, he turned to the man, pulling out his gil.

The blond man watched them curiously. "Begging your pardon and I do mean no disrespect but . . . why don't you have the traditional tattoo?"

Hermione's brow wrinkled about to ask him what he was talking about when Sirius answered.

"We are newly weds and . . . ." he allowed the man a peek at his weapons to show he did not wish for him to speak of them to anyone, ". . . . we are not exactly friends with those in power at the moment."

Blondie blinked before nodding slowly. Sirius' hand moved to his weapon, causing the other man to hold up his hands, shaking his head.

"No, no," he said anxiously. "I understand completely." He looked at them sheepishly. "I actually had my heart set once on a beautiful girl I met in Luca. She turned out to be the daughter of a governor in Bevelle. Said they'd come for my head if I ever came near her again."

Hermione's heart went out to him as his voice dropped at the end. "I'm so sorry."

He shook his head with a sad smile. "It's fine now. But if you like, I can do your marriage bands free of charge while I'm at it. Make everything nice and proper."

Hermione's eyes widened as she took a step back. "Oh, no, we couldn—" she was stopped by Sirius' chest as he still stood behind her.

"Actually, can we do a variation?" Sirius said, causing Hermione to look up at him with a frown.

"Could you take her tattoo and put a smaller version wrapping around my wrist?"

Blondie nodded slowly. "Sure, I think I could handle that. However, it's more difficult so I would have to ask . . . ."

"An even 10,000 for both," Sirius declared.

The other man bowed his head. "You have a deal."

Meanwhile, Hermione was shaking her head in horror.

"Sirius!" she said whirling on him as blondie turned to get his equipment ready. "Are you mad!" she said in a furious whisper. "We're _not_ married and a tattoo is rather _permanent!_"

Sirius smiled down at her. "I know. You think I do not know this. For this, I know."

She narrowed her eyes. "If you think I'm going to let you double-talk your way out of some sort of explanation, then you—"

"My darling," he interrupted placing a finger over her lips, halting her tirade. "It is not a traditional set of marriage tattoos, but since your top shows your back and my wrist is readily available for viewing, it will hold sway when we get into company who are decidedly less friendly towards women than blondie over there."

"But when we go back—"

"You mean when _you_ go back, where tattoos are merely a barbaric custom?" he said, lifting an eyebrow.

She worked her jaw, angry at his stubbornness. "What kind of place is this anyway? Tattoos instead of wedding bands? It's ludicrous."

Sirius smiled, knowing he had her. "First of all, only a select few can even afford jewelry here while marriage tats cost equivalent to that of a marriage license on Earth. Secondly, marriage here is for life – they don't believe in divorce."

Too many questions concerning the wiseness of such a belief, Hermione simply shook her head. Looking back up at him, she asked tiredly.

"Why would you willingly bind yourself to me?"

Lowering his head, he held her gaze. "We are already bound, coming from the same world. I am merely trying to protect you the best way I know how until I can return you to my godson."

". . . As your wife." She deadpanned.

He lifted his head slightly, his mouth twitching at her disbelieving tone.

"Few men would bother the wife of Sirius Black. There will be dangerous men the further north we get and with your penchant to wander off, this is the simplest recourse. And besides, it isn't a real marriage until we speak the vows. No one will know but us. You must play by their rules here, love."

"What about Braska and Auron and Jecht?"

Sirius shrugged. "We'll tell them the truth."

"You trust them then?"

"Don't you?"

She nodded. "But with this?"

"They are outcasts, Hermione. Who would they tell?!"

Hermione sighed. "This is just…so weird. Had somebody told me I would be effectively binding myself to Sirius Black for the sake of protection, I wouldn't have been able to stop laughing."

Sirius looked affronted. "Why?"

Hermione looked at him wide-eyed. "Because you were a scoundrel and an Azkaban escapee. You were in no shape for any sort of commitment with anyone! And from all accounts you eschewed school rules, playing pranks on the teachers while I practically lived in the library! We were nothing alike!"

Sirius lifted a brow. "And now?" He'd address the issue of where she learned all of this about him later.

Hermione gestured to him, her head shaking as she frowned, trying to find the words out of the corner she'd painted herself in.

"You're…different. But that doesn't mean this isn't any less bizarre," she added.

"Excuse me," said the tattooist, causing them to turn to him. "I should get started as soon as possible."

Hermione folded her arms across her middle, looking away. Sirius watched her. He made to move towards her, but she backed away.

"Do his first," she said with a shake of her head, her voice sounding lost. "I'll be back."

Sirius frowned, watching her turn and walk away. He made to go after her, but blondie cleared his throat.

"Sir?" he spoke hesitantly. "A storm's coming in tonight. I have to start now if we plan on finishing…. You still want to get one, right?"

Sirius sighed, resting his hands on his hips. "Yes, I do."

* * *

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A/N: Poor Sirius=( Doesn't understand his own motives, no, no he doesn't. . . . Next chapter will be mostly Hermione's POV and . . . Rikku! I'm still trying to get Hermione back in character and I hoped I managed that somewhat with this chap.


	9. Chapter 9

DISCLAIMED: (_02/01/09_)

**Fandoms:** Harry Potter, Final Fantasy X(10 Years before initial storyline)

**Pairings:** Hermione/Sirius, possibly Rikku/Auron

**Rating:** Mature (Eventually)

**Summary:** A twist on the Hermione as an Unspeakable and retrieving Sirius from the Veil. Nothing is what it's meant to be. This'll change all that. Crossover with the Final Fantasy X world, Lord Braska's period. WILL contain Rikku.

Alright, so I'm ALOT late with this - sorry bout that. I'm getting overwhelmed and sick so I'm taking a breather for just a little while. I still have stuff written after this but I want to make sure I get everything right for any future chapters and my brain hurts. This is Hermione's perspective of the sitch and then some. Thought those that aren't all that enthused by the Super Bowl would appreciate this.

Rikku didn't make it into this chap and I know a lot of you are like SO WHAT? WHO _IS_ THIS CHARACTER YOU CONTINUE TO SPEAK OF? But, lol, I couldn't add her into this one or it'd get too long. Of course this chapter turned out to be a little short. I'd revise it to make it longer but I'm losing my job and constantly have a headache so I just can't or I'll go insane=P

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-**Chapter ****九**-

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Hermione stood on the cliff's edge, looking out at the ocean. It was the same cliff she'd saved Sirius from that morning. Honestly, she didn't know what was going through his head. First, he's being totally reckless and then he's spouting off, making a commitment she never pictured him making. Sure, it would be for show, but his willingness was disconcerting.

She wondered what Harry was doing then. If he was worried about her, frantically searching. What he would think about her and Sirius. Merlin, when did everything become so confusing. Find Sirius. Give Harry closure. That's it. Easy, right?

Well, not easy, but it was something to do. Something to make a seemingly perfect new Voldemort-free world mean something. She couldn't make things work with Ron, that was clear from the second month of their relationship. Molly didn't appreciate the sudden end of it and Hermione's parents still didn't trust her after her little Australia stunt. Harry had his own problems, so she was left on her own.

Blinking, Hermione realized she and Sirius had more in common than she thought. Both felt lost in their own world, through no real fault of their own. She could see how ending up here would be a salvation for him. He could start over, be whoever he wanted. Have the life he could never have as the Azkaban escapee, Sirius Black.

She could do the same, if she wanted. No longer known as the bookworm, the know-it-all, Harry Potter's best friend and "love interest." Well, no she couldn't. Apparently, in this world, she would be Sirius Black's wife, now and forever, branded and everything. But that didn't matter. She was going home. Back to the wizarding world. Back to Harry. She had to. For his sanity's sake. Staying wasn't an option.

"You should not wander off," came a rough voice behind her.

Turning her head, she saw Auron coming forward to stand next to her. Looking back out at the water, she sighed.

"I know. I am sorry I'm such a bother—"

Auron was shaking his head. "You are not a burden. Your skill is great and you have made the trip easier. Braska is simply worried about you."

Exhaling, she bit her lip. "Seems me being a woman is the problem."

Auron glanced at her. He made a soft noise in his throat that she'd learned was his way of laughing. She lifted her brows at him.

"And what do you plan to do about that?" he asked, his deep voice filled with mirth.

Hermione pursed her lips at him as he fought a smile. "It is not funny, Auron. Honestly, I feel like everyone believes I'm made out of glass. I can take care of myself, you know."

Auron nodded. "I know that. So do the others. However, you must realize when people start to care about you, they will worry, regardless."

Hermione nodded. "I know. It's just—" She paused, causing Auron to glance at her curiously.

Hermione's gaze slid to meet his, deciding she should just tell him. "Sirius thinks it'll be best if I pretend to be his wife for this journey."

Auron blinked in surprise. He didn't say anything. Hermione sighed heavily, moving to the edge of the cliff and sitting down.

Finally, he said, "How long have you known Sirius?"

Hermione turned to look up at him. "I. . . don't think I ever really _knew_ him." She turned back to stare outward. "I met him when I was fourteen. He was framed for a crime and I helped…his godson break him out of his cell. He had to go on the run then. I only saw him during school breaks after that."

Auron was quiet for a moment before saying, "And you will not tell him this?"

Hermione blinked at him.

"He told me you wish him to remember on his own."

"I do. If that's possible," Hermione bit her lip, wondering if it was a lost cause.

"If you hardly knew him, why are you here?"

"I. . . couldn't stand to see Harry – his godson – continue to mourn, not really knowing what happened to him."

"You are in love with this Harry, then?"

Hermione blinked up at him, stuttering a laugh. "Uh, no. Though you are not the first to ask. He's married now, and almost happy. . . ."

"Hn." Auron shifted next to her. "Is there anyone you are. . . attached to in your world?"

Hermione shook her head. "If you mean did I have a boyfriend or husband, no. I lived for my work. And that was finding Sirius. So I could take the lingering pain from the eyes of my best friend. So we could all move on."

"So you plan to find a way back home."

Hermione nodded.

There was a long silence in which Hermione almost forgot about Auron standing there. It was amazing how calming his presence could be.

Finally, he spoke, "Perhaps it would be best to accept Sirius' offer."

Hermione looked up at him in askance.

"It is true it is more dangerous for women during these times. Sirius' name and manner will provide what we cannot, as your traveling companions."

Hermione looked at him dolefully. "Is this how it normally is for women on a pilgrimage?"

Auron looked uncomfortable then. Hermione peered at him curiously.

"I understand from your circumstances you are not familiar with this world," he said gruffly. "But you've heard the Al Bhed are _persona non grata_ with most of the world."

Hermione nodded.

"Well, since Lord Braska married an Al Bhed woman, we find ourselves with less favor with the people. It would be as if you are an Al Bhed and Yevonites aren't too kind to their women."

Another voice, soft and calming had both of them turning.

"The Al Bhed generally keep to themselves," said Braska. "All their women are taught to fight and work with machina in case they fight themselves in unfriendly company, but still they don't venture far from their Home."

Hermione met his gaze. "How did you meet your wife, then?" she asked, before bowing her head. "I mean, if you don't mind my asking."

Braska smiled, shaking his head. "Not at all. We met when I was eighteen. I was taking my year of exploration before starting my Summoner training." His smile turned reminiscent. "She was on an Al Bhed ship, a tank they called it. I was passing by on a regular ferry. She was the most beautiful creature I'd ever beheld."

Hermione smiled at the reverence in his voice.

"Auron was the one who told me she was Al Bhed and that it was best not to waste my time," Braske continued, throwing Auron an amused grin.

Auron, in turn, shifted uncomfortably.

"However, I couldn't believe it. I had to meet her. When her ship docked on the mainland for its rare run for inland supplies, I followed it." His mouth quirked then. "I shanghaied Auron into a reconnaissance mission of sorts. He kept look-out for me while I climbed the side of the ship. Suicide mission of course as the Al Bhed are not the trusting type, for obvious reasons. But I managed a good spot to wait for her to make an appearance.

"When she came out on deck, I caught her attention. She made it appear as if she were going to bed after that before sneaking out to meet me. I learned much of the Al Bhed then. I did not care what she was, but I liked to play at the arrogant Yevonite. She was so beautiful when angry."

Hermione glanced at Auron who was staring at his friend, no expression as was his manner.

"When she had to leave, she convinced her father to let her take a small crew out to the desert to scavenge. I met her there and we began seeing each other in earnest. I learned that her father was basically the Al Bhed leader, her brother next in line to take over.

I wasn't sure how it'd work between us after that, but she was forward thinking. She hated her brother's attitude towards 'outsiders' as he called us. But she knew she only had so much power against him. So we married in secret, her second cousin Rin's father officiating. Unfortunately, she was cast out of Al Bhed society. We traveled around, staying away from the main cities for a while. Then we had Yuna, our beautiful little girl."

Hermione blinked. "You have a daughter?"

His mouth quirked as he nodded. "Aye. She's eight. We stayed in Bevelle, Yevon's capital, after Yena died. I was basically lost without her and Auron was there to help me through it. I regained interest in becoming a Summoner and started my training. Yuna was so proud of me and I felt somewhat normal for once."

Braska paused, looking down at the ground, his expression fond. "I do this pilgrimage for her."

Hermione was quiet a moment, her heart going out to this family. Quietly, she asked, "How did she die?"

Braska blinked, coming out of his reverie. He looked uncomfortable then.

"I-I'm sorry, you don't have to—" Hermione stuttered.

"Highway robbery," Auron interjected. Hermione's gaze shot up to him, but he was staring at Braska. "While they were traveling around Spira. They were Al Bhed and recognized her. She was protecting Yuna. The blow was fatal."

Hermione covered her mouth, horrified. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry."

Braska shook his head, but didn't say anything. Hermione could see clearly how much it still affected him.

Auron shifted. "You see why being under Sirius' protection would make everyone more at ease."

Hermione turned away, lifting her knees to her chest. She didn't hear them, but Braska nodded to Auron before the monk quietly took his leave. Braska then appeared at her side. He squatted down, sitting next to her.

"I heard you two speak earlier, I apologize for eavesdropping."

Hermione shook her head. "It's fine."

"I'm glad. I understand Sirius wishes to play your husband?"

A snort escaped her before she could stop it.

"You object to Sirius?"

She blinked. "Well, no. . . I mean, he can be aggravating and childish, but he _is_ a good man."

"You are not afraid he would ehem. . . take advantage—"

Hermione lifted her head at him in horror. "No! Gods no. Sirius. . . he's not like that."

Braska looked amused. "Then what is the problem?"

Hermione looked at him. ". . . Aren't you like a priest or something? Doesn't this kind of thing, I don't know, offend your religion, er fayth, or something? Playacting at marriage?"

Braska's chest rumbled with laughter. "I believe in extreme circumstances. And love everlasting. My fayth does not restrict me."

Hermione thought about this, before turning her head and resting it on her knees.

"He cares for you."

Hermione lifted her head abruptly at that. Braska was regarding her with an assured smile. Patting her shoulder, he said, "Think about it."

Hermione slowly looked away, her eyes faraway. She recalled Sirius when he approached her and the Rune salesman. His hands on her waist, her cheek, his head nearing hers. If she hadn't known better, or been so mad at him, she'd think he meant to kiss her. Her heart pounded as his lips descended, even though she knew that wasn't possible. But what did she _really_ know? Men were a mystery to her.

She gave a cry of frustration, muffled by her legs. Braska looked at her amused.

Honestly, it shouldn't matter. This was a 'marriage' of convenience, nothing more, not even a real marriage. Auron and even Braska gave their blessing, so what _was_ the problem. She didn't have an answer, but nonetheless, her chest ached.

* * *

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A/N: Again, sorry if it was too short. Needed a little Hermione-reflection time and you got some Braska background and even a little about Jecht (found drunk in a Bevelle prison and taken under Braska's wing). Those who've played the games know there wasn't much info on these two characters, so I made up the Braska part, but they really did find Jecht in prison, drunk as he is an alcoholic. Ah, and I realize I'm taking liberties with the order in which Braska did his pilgrimage, but my way just makes so much more sense;)

_Next Chapter: _Alrighty, Auron meets someone 'new' next chapter and Hermione 'reconciles' with Sirius.


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